Stargate: SVU 4
by Mcfergeson
Summary: An old enemy rises up from the ashes to cause more harm as the galaxy teeters dangerously towards all-out war between three major alien powers. It will take all that Olivia, Sam and the SG-1 team have just to survive the coming storm!
1. Chapter 1

_Hello and welcome. This is the beginning of a new saga in this little universe, one that sees the beginning of a major, all-out war in the galaxy that Olivia, Sam and SG-1 wind up getting caught up in. Before we begin, let me get this out of the way:_

_Olivia Benson and the Special Victims Unit characters were created by and owned by Dick Wolf. Samantha Carter and the Stargate universe is owned by MGM. I am not making any money off of this story. It was written strictly for fun._

_This story features characters from Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: Universe. The 'ships are as follows: Jack/Sam, Olivia/Daniel. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter One**

Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter was momentarily taken aback by the beauty that she saw before her. She had been hiking up a narrow trail through the dense woods with the others, escorted by their Rumai guides. They had spent the night in the main camp as honored guests, and at the formal soiree last night, the High Komangi, the leader of the Rumon tribes here on PJK-282, had promised SG-1 something special in the morning. And, judging from the sight that Sam beheld now, it was clear that the High Komangi had certainly delivered.

The open field before them, located at the base of the Sacred Mountain, was adorned with large white sails, attached to tall wooden poles secured into the ground, that swayed and fluttered in the breeze. They were largely featureless at first, until a particularly strong wind blew, and Sam's breath was taken away when she saw that the collection of formless white cloth had all turned into angelic figures, whose outspread wings glowed in the early morning light.

"Holy Hannah," Sam said, a smile on her face. She instinctively turned to see what Jack thought of this beautiful sight…until she realized with a slight frown that he wasn't even here. Her commanding officer and lover was back home on earth, running the SGC. This was only her second mission as the leader of SG-1, her first one off world, and not having Jack around still took some getting used to.

Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell, her second in command, walked to her right side and stopped to marvel at the flowing angelic figures. "Hot damn," he muttered, captivated, "now there's a sight you don't see everyday."

"Indeed," Teal'c said with an appreciative nod. He appeared on Sam's left. "It is a most impressive sight."

"Good Grief!" Olivia Benson exclaimed. "This is beautiful! They look like angels out there!"

"That was the intent," Daniel Jackson said, as he gave the cloth sails a thoughtful gaze. "And I think they're supposed to represent us."

"Really?" Sam asked, surprised. "What makes you say that?"

Daniel just pointed at the collection of sails that made up the group of angelic figures on the field. "Count them. They're the exact same number as the personnel in SG-1. They're us."

Sam glanced back and counted the individual angels. There were seven; the same number that presently served in SG-1 these days. "You're right. It is the same number."

But Cam, who just shook his head, wasn't convinced. "You're stretching it a bit, aren't you, Doctor Jackson?"

"These were all added very recently," First Lieutenant Grace Satterfield pointed out. "See the diggings around the posts of the wooden sails? The earth still looks freshly disturbed."

"Good eye, Grace," Daniel said with a smile. "Yeah, that's another clue which tells me that these guys are supposed to represent us. Remember that the Rumai express themselves visually, through totems and various forms of artwork. What this tells me is that they see us as being their angels, their saviors."

"Well, well," Cam said with a nod. "That's mighty kind of them. But why? I mean, what do they think we've saved them from?"

They all grew silent when the High Komangi suddenly stepped out in front of the sails and waved his arms with a dramatic flourish. "To our friends, the warrior angels who defeated the Sons Of Darkness in battle, we honor you and thank you!"

A group of Rumai singers off to the side began singing in a heavenly choir that, together with the swaying, flowing angels, made for a beautiful and poignant scene. Daniel hugged Olivia as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh, wow," Captain Jennifer Hailey said. She had a bashful redness in her cheeks. "This is pretty amazing…."

Sam was also taken aback by this display of affection by a group of people whom they had just met just a day ago. Yet she was also curious as to how these simple folk, who were barely out of the Bronze Age, even knew about the Sons Of Darkness, much less the battle where they were defeated that took place on a planet millions of light years away.

When she glanced at Cam, Sam saw that he was also concerned by this turn of events. "Not to put them down in any way, but they're just barely out of the cave-dwelling era, here," he asked, sotto voce. "How do they know all of this stuff?"

"Good question," she murmured. Sam strode a few steps in front of her SG-1 comrades and bowed as graciously as she could before the High Komangi. This was awkward, given the amount of gear that was clinging to her vest and green BDU. But she kept everything in place by placing her hand over her heart as she bowed. "Thank you, sir. We greatly appreciate this gesture. But may I ask, how did you come to know of this battle, and our part in it?"

The High Komangi, who was in his fifties, was the cross of a king with a medicine man within his tribe. He smiled at her from under his crown of colorful feathers. "The traders through the Chaapa'ai have told us the details of the battle," he replied. "But we knew the Sons Of Darkness were truly defeated once we saw them leave their devil's lair for good."

'Uh-oh,' Sam thought, as she glanced back and gave Teal'c a wary look. The Jaffa stood with a tighter grip on his staff weapon. "Devil's lair?" Sam urgently asked. "The Sons Of Darkness were here?"

"They lived on the Devil's Lair, Colonel Carter." The High Komangi pointed up at the heavens, at the largest of four moons that orbited the planet. It was ten times larger in size than the moon in Earth's orbit, and from what Sam could see, it appeared to have its own atmosphere. "They would swoop down from time to time and prey on our people. They would hunt us as if we were animals in the wild. But that ceased when we saw the Sons Of Darkness leave the Devil's Lair, shortly after your victory over them on the Tauri home world. These avatars are our way of thanking you for freeing us from their oppression."

"And I humbly thank you once again," Sam said, as she smiled absently. Their next move was clear. They had to check out that moon, right now. "Tell me, is there a Chaapa'ai on the Devil's Lair?"

"Whenever the Sons Of Darkness attacked us, they came down in their ships," the High Komangi said. "We can not travel to the Devil's Lair through the Chaapa'ai, and nor would we wish to."

'A hidden base, with no access through the stargate,' Sam thought, as she felt her hackles arose. 'Now I _really_ want to see what's up there!'

But something the Komangi said had caught her attention. "Why wouldn't you want to go up there, now?" Sam asked. "If the Sons Of Darkness have deserted the place, then it must be safe…."

She stopped speaking when the High Komangi began to shake his head solemnly. "Their stronghold may be deserted, Colonel Carter, but it still reeks of evil. Several of the merchants who passed through here have tried to land there, but they speak of the base still being guarded by a legion of lesser demons that were left behind be the Sons Of Darkness. A few of the merchant ships have never even returned."

'Lesser demons?' Sam wondered. 'It could be advanced tech, a mechanized anti-intruder system, or some sort of creature left behind as a watchdog of sorts. But regardless of what this could be, we _really_ need to check it out.'

After thanking the High Komangi and excusing herself, Sam turned to walk back to her team. When she saw Cam standing with Olivia, Sam smiled slightly at the perplexed look that Cam gave her. Not for the first time did Cam display this uneasy feeling regarding Olivia. But if Liv ever noticed his discomfort towards her, she completely ignored it.

As she walked up to Cam and Olivia, the rest of the team huddled around them. "Everybody hear that exchange?" Sam asked. "He says the Sons Of Darkness were based on the largest moon up there."

"They called it the Devil's Lair," Daniel said with a nod.

"Yeah," Olivia added. "Funny how they didn't say anything about it until now."

"Just what I was thinking," Cam said with equal suspicion. "You'd think they'd mention something a lot sooner about having the Sons Of Darkness breathing right down their necks."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so suspicious of the Rumai," Daniel said. "After all, the Sons Of Darkness are long gone, now. And since they're no longer a threat, the Rumai, being a simple people, probably no longer think about them. They've got better things to worry about now, like food gathering and such."

"Besides," Grace interjected, "maybe the Rumai thought it would spoil this surprise if they told us about the Sons of Darkness base last night."

Daniel gestured at her. "Exactly. We're dealing with a completely innocent-minded group of people, here."

"Indeed," Teal'c said in agreement. "I do not believe the Rumai are a threat, either, Colonel Carter."

"But we should really investigate that moon," Sam told them.

"Agreed, Colonel," Cam replied. "It's worth checking out."

"Could be some nice alien tech left behind," Jennifer said. "Just waiting for us to get our mitts on them!"

Sam nodded. "Yes, about that. The Komangi also said that the Sons Of Darkness left behind what he called 'lesser demons' to guard the place."

"Oh, great, we can never just walk in and look around, can we?" Olivia said, annoyed. A few strands of Liv's dark brown hair stuck out in a stylish manner from under the green cap that she wore. "There always has to be this Indiana Jones-type of trap just waiting for us. Never friggin easy…."

"But, Liv, that's what always makes it so much fun," Daniel lightly told her.

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow in consternation at that remark. "Speak for yourself, Daniel Jackson."

"But if they left something to guard a supposedly deserted base," Sam started.

"Then there might really be something worthwhile left behind," Jennifer finished for her, a look of eagerness in her eyes.

"Or the Sons Of Darkness are planning on coming back," Cam countered grimly. "In which case, I really wouldn't mind meeting them. I'm still stewing over what these bastards did to Earth, and would be very happy to send more of those sons of bitches straight to hell."

Sam nodded solemnly. She knew full well what he meant. Although they had resoundingly defeated the Sons Of Darkness, along with their leader, Lord Belial, in battle in the Antarctic, they were all still living with the horrors of the aftermath of their attempted invasion of Earth, which left millions dead and most of the major cities around the world as devastated wastelands.

Since the stargate program was now outed, the Prometheus openly lent a hand with search and rescue operations all over the world. Sam had worked on many of these missions of mercy, as a part of SG-1, and seeing the result of the brutality of the Sons Of Darkness firsthand was heartbreaking for her to witness. Samantha Carter had always prided herself on being a cool-headed woman, yet the sheer amount of suffering that she saw in the blasted ruins of what was once Beijing was enough to shatter her professional reserve. The anguish had been so much to take that when she found Olivia crying in front of the burnt-out shell of what was once a children's nursery, all Sam could do was grab Olivia and hold her. Sam and Olivia had just stood there, tightly hugging each other while they both bawled their eyes out.

And then, as if the horrors committed by the Sons Of Darkness weren't enough, with China largely out of the picture as a superpower, the North Koreans attacked South Korea. All operations through the gate were suspended for the last two months as the Prometheus, along with whatever other resources the SGC could spare, helped the regular UN-allied militaries as they sought to bring that brief but vicious war to an end. SG-1 wasn't as involved in the Second Korean War as Sam would have liked to have been, due to the fact that General Hammond and the Joint Chiefs Of Staff considered them too valuable a resource to use. And so Sam and the others could only watch in dismay from the sidelines as North Korea was quickly reduced to radioactive rubble, which was the last thing the world needed to happen. Yet Sam still blamed the Sons Of Darkness for everything; she more than understood the bitter anger that many people still held towards them.

'But as much as I agree with Cam about wiping out every last one of the Sons Of Darkness, if they are still active, then we need to find out what they're up to,' Sam realized. 'The best revenge would be to stop whatever new plan they have now right in its tracks.'

"I share your feelings, Cam," Sam said, "but if we encounter any of them up there, we'll need to take them prisoner. Only way to find out what they're up to, if anything, is to interrogate them."

He nodded in understanding. "You got it."

"So what's the gate address?" Olivia asked. She then turned to Daniel and muttered, "I can't believe we're actually going to a place called the Devil's Lair."

Sam let out a half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah, well…there's the rub: there isn't a gate address. No gate up there."

"No gate?" Cam asked. "Damn, that's inconvenient…."

"I'll contact the SGC, and see what we can do," Sam said. "We may have to go home and come back here in one of the Teltac ships."

"If given the choice, Colonel, I'd prefer coming back in an Alkesh," Cam said. "It has more firepower, which we might need if we ran across anything nasty."

Sam quickly thought it over. "But an Alkesh is also much bigger, and might draw more attention than a Teltac. Besides, approaching the moon in a smaller ship will give us a good tactical advantage, anyway."

"We can easily see trouble from a mile away in a teltac," Jennifer pointed out. "But they won't be able to see us. The Teltac ships are equipped with a cloak."

Sam nodded at her. "Precisely, Captain. But let's call home, first, and see what Jack has to say about all of this. You care to dial the gate for us, Hailey?"

Jennifer smiled. "My pleasure, Colonel."

As the petite woman ran to dial the gate, Olivia grinned at Sam and said, "Jack, huh? It must be nice to be good friends with the guy in charge."

"It's _always_ good to have friends in high places," Daniel added with a grin.

Sam felt her face go red at the verbal slip she'd inadvertently let loose. Only Olivia could trip her up like this, and she loved the woman all the more for it like a sister. "I meant Brigadier General O'Neill, all right?" she said with mock-indignation. "You happy now…huh?"

"You know me, Sam, I'm always ecstatic," Olivia said, as she gave Sam a wink. Then she did a double take at the two Lieutenant Colonels who stood before her. "Hey, look Daniel: it's Sam and Cam! Cam and Sam! If we get somebody on the team named Tam, then it will be Sam, Cam and…."

Grace could just barely contain her laughter as Daniel took Olivia by the hand and gently pulled her away from them. "All right…ok, honey," he said. "Let's leave the nice colonels alone to plan their next move, now, shall we?"

"What? Too much?" Olivia asked as they walked away with a still-giggling Grace trialing behind them. "You know you always can tell me, Daniel…."

Sam, who was also chuckling at Olivia's antics, immediately ceased when she glanced at Cam, who stood with a disapproving look on his face.

"Begging your pardon, Colonel, but may I ask why is that woman's on the team again?" he asked her. "With her attitude, I see no reason why she should even be here."

Sam glanced up at Teal'c, who suddenly loomed over Cam with a dour look on his face.

"One could say the same about you, Colonel Mitchell," the Jaffa said in a dangerous tone, just before turning his back on Cam and walking away.

"Ok, now it's official," Cam said, as he bleakly watched Teal storm away from him, "he really _hates_ me!"

"Actually, knowing Teal'c, the fact that he's talking to you at all is a good sign," Sam said, half-jokingly. When Cam just shook his head in response, she placed a hand on his shoulder. Sam knew it couldn't have been easy for him to join an already established team like this. "Buck up, Colonel Mitchell, this is only your first mission through the gate."

"I know I pushed to join this team, sir, and it's not that I'm not grateful to be here," he said, as they started walking towards the gate. "I am. Very much so. But it's a little much to get used to at times. For one thing, I'm really not used to members of a military unit speaking up so casually like everybody does here."

"Bear in mind that Olivia, Daniel and Teal'c are not in the military," Sam reminded him. "They're not bound by the same protocols that we are. And, to answer your earlier question, Olivia is on this team because she's earned the right to be; just like you, me, and everybody else."

"And she does have the ancient gene," Cam conceded. "That makes her a valuable asset."

"But even before we discovered that fact, Olivia had proven herself many times, including saving my life," Sam told him.

Cam nodded. "I apologize if I was out of line, Colonel Carter."

Sam just shook her head. "I don't want your apology, Cam. I just want you to relax. And you can start by calling me Sam from now on."

"Sam? Really?" He gave her a suspicious look. "But we _are_ military, and bound by those very same protocols that you've mentioned."

"But we're with the SGC, and you just have to roll with it, you know?"

"Roll with it?" Cam said with a grin. "I like that!"

Sam returned the grin. "General O'Neill told me that one time. I've since found that it's a pretty apt description of life in the SGC. We deal with some pretty wild stuff on a daily basis, and this free-wheeling style you see within the team is really the best way of dealing with all of it."

When they arrived at the gate, Sam was pleased to see that Hailey already had it activated and was speaking to the SGC through the MALP that was parked by the side. "Here's Colonel Carter now, sir," she said into the screen, as Sam walked up to her. "General O'Neill for you, Colonel."

"Thanks, Jennifer." Sam smiled at the familiar face who peered at her from several billion miles away on the MALP screen. "Hello, General."

"Colonel," Jack said with a slight wave. "How are things with the Rummies?"

Sam momentarily rolled her eyes upwards as she said, "Um, sir, they're called the Rumai."

Jack just shrugged easily. "Right. Whatever. So how are things going?"

As Sam began her report, which included the discovery of the abandoned Sons Of Darkness base, she inwardly took great comfort in the fact that, no matter how much change there may be, some things, such as her beloved Jack, always remained the same.

**SG1: SVU**

"Ok," Jacob Carter said with a weary sigh, "we're finally here. So let's see what we can see."

The vast, imposing space station that stretched out before him didn't even exist just a week ago. It was quickly constructed under the orders and watchful eye of Her Lord Empress Neith, the supreme ruler of the Netian Empire, just for this special meeting between her and the Goa'uld system lords.

After several months of intensive, all-out warfare, where the Goa'uld system lords saw their fortunes slowly decline, thanks to the might of Neith's war machine, under the guidance of her uncanny tactical skills, the surviving system lords had agreed to a meeting with Her Lord Empress in neutral space. When they couldn't agree on whose spaceship the meeting would take place on, Neith arranged to have this space station built from scratch. It was essentially a large, solid dome with docking ports for the various spaceships of the dignitaries.

The Tok'ra did its level best to try and get a spy to infiltrate the meeting, but the security was just too strict. Every person aboard the station was accounted for by the Imperial Jaffa guards commanded by To'mar, Neith's First Prime. So the Tok'ra went to the SGC for help, and they were presented with the Dragonfly.

The Dragonfly was a remote controlled device that was armed with a camera and microphone, so that it could collect both images and sound. It was just about the same size and shape as a real dragonfly, with wings that enabled it to fly around much like how the actual insect did. The Tok'ra managed to install several of these SGC devices on various cargo crates that were earmarked for the construction of the station.

Jacob checked the readings on the console before him, hoping that at least one of the Dragonflies had survived the trip to the station unharmed. There was a very good chance that this would be a massive failure, that all of the Dragonflies had been either discovered or destroyed.

'But hope springs enternal, right?' Jacob thought, as he switched on the status screen. He checked the readings, just as his daughter, Samantha, had taught him. Jacob was relieved to see that at least three of the twelve Dragonflies were still operational.

He chose one, and turned it on. Jacob was pleased to see that he had a view of what looked like one of the docking bays of the space station. He engaged the remote comtroller, which had a joystick and additional directional buttons for the camera.

The Dragonfly took off from its perch on the cargo container and zoomed around the docking bay. Jacob smiled, satisfied at how he was able to handle the Dragonfly with such ease. Then his smile vanished when he accidentally flew the Dragonfly right into a wall. The viewer and sound both cut out as the console now registered the Dragonfly as being no longer operational. "Drat!"

'Superb work, Jacob,' a gentle voice spoke from within his head. The sarcasm within the words of his 2000 year old symbiote was all too apparent. 'Just an amazing job….'

"Quiet, Selmak," Jacob grumbled, as he quickly started up another Dragonfly.

'If you destroy the remaining two,' Selmak said, 'we may still get information from this meeting by calling Neith. If it goes well for her, as I suspect it will, she may be agreeable to an interview.'

Jacob just shook his head in frustration as he launched the second Dragonfly. "You know, it's bad enough I have to put up with your snarky remarks, but…."

'What is 'snarky'?' Selmak wanted to know.

"It's what _you_ are," Jacob told him. "Now be quiet and let me concentrate."

He got the second Dragonfly hovering in the air in the docking bay. But he realized that all of the doors were closed. "Damn it. I'm locked in here…."

'Ventilation shaft,' Selmak said.

Jacob frowned. "What about them?"

'The Dragonfly is small enough to fly through the grate, yes?'

"Oh, of course! Good thinking, Selmak." Jacob aimed the Dragonfly towards the first ventilation grate he saw, and once the device was inside the shaft, he consulted the Positioning System Display, which told him where the Dragonfly was within the station. After a few turns, Jacon grinned when he flew the Dragonfly out of a grate and into the main conference room.

Several of the Goa'uld system lords were already there, conferring among themselves. As Jacob maneuvered the Dragonfly around the room, well above the heads of the crowd, he found a good spot to land the mechanical insect. Fromt his vantage point, Jacob could efficiently view and hear everything that went on in the room.

'I am not so snarky now,' Selmak said smugly, 'am I?'

"Oh, you're still snarky, Selmak," Jacob muttered, as he checked the status of his ship's cloak. It was still working at full power; his vessel was completely invisible…unless the Netian Ha'tak ships decided to launch a Seeker Wave.

'But let's worry about _that _when it happens,' Jacob thought wearily. 'One crisis at a time….'

When Jacob glanced up at the main display, he saw that the meeting was beginning. First Prime To'mar and Lord Battlemaster Ba'al slowly descended the steps of what looked like a grand stage.

Jacob tried to get a good look at who else was present. He saw three system lords, Camulus, Olokun and Amaterasu, along with their respective entourages. 'Lord Yu is not here…but then he need not be,' Jacob realized. 'Out of all the system lords, he still possessed a formidable army.'

"Ba'al!" Camulus barked with distaste. "How does it feel to be the lapdog of that bitch?"

To'mar glared hatefully at him, until Ba'al restrained the younger man with a hand on his shoulder. "Always knowing just the right thing to say at just the right time, eh, Camulus?" Ba'al said with an easy smile. "One would think you would know better than to show disrespect at a meeting such as this."

"If you expect us to bow down to Neith," Amaterasu said, "you are sadly mistaken."

"I expect you to listen to what my Lord Empress has to say, nothing more," Ba'al told them. "The fact that you three are even here means that you are at least receptive to that idea."

"Lord Yu apparently does not wish to hear what Neith has to say," Olokun sneered. "He did not even come!"

"And he shall live just long enough to regret that decision," a hushed female voice spoke.

Then Jacob finally saw her, and he had to admit, she was indeed a gorgeous woman; albeit one who was a deadly psychotic who presently held the better part of the galaxy in a tight grip of terror.

Neith slowly stepped down from the stage, clad in a clingy gold dress that showed off her shapely attributes. She wore an ancient Egyptian-style mask over her head and face, which melted away to reveal a sleek countenance that was framed by a mane of black hair. Her eyes were outlined in Egyptian-style eye shadow, and when she glanced at the system lords, Neith regarded them as if they were slugs.

"Well, Neith," Amaterasu said. "We are here. What is it that you wish to say to us?"

"Join me," Neith said, "or die."

'Not real big on speeches, is she?' Jacob thought.

'She shows as much restraint with her words as she does with her mercy,' Selmak commented.

Olokun stepped forward. "Do you wish to form an alliance with us?"

"No, I demand no less than your unconditional surrender," Neith replied. "Accept it under my terms, and you shall continue to live, serving under me as my generals."

Camulus barked out in laughter. He was joined by the others. "Are you insane, woman?" Camulus said, in-between his chortling. "We would rather die than serve under the likes of you!"

Neith just glanced at Ba'al and said, "My dear Lord Battlemaster, it would appear that your initial assumptions about these three were correct; they are nothing but impertinent dogs."

"What?" Amaterasu said, furious. "How dare you!"

"We dare, because we can, and we shall do what we please," Ba'al said firmly as he spread his arms in a grand manner. "The Netian Empire is sweeping across the entire galaxy. And if you would rather die than serve Her Lord Empress…then it shall be easily arranged."

The three of them, Neith, Ba'al and To'mar, all vanished just then, leaving a confused group of system lords, who all started shouting at each other in a panic.

"Holograms!" Jacob said, as he quickly reviewed the delayed footage of their sudden disappearance. "Neith and her boys were never really there!"

Then the space station began to rumble violently. Jacob's eyes grew wide when he saw a large build up of energy coming from within the station on his console's display screen. Something big and nasty was about to happen.

'Jacob,' Selmak said with his usual calmness, 'it might be a good idea for us to leave, now….'

"You got that right, old friend," Jacob said, as he powered up the engines and made a quick 180 turn away from the now-glowing space station. He switched off the cloak and diverted all power to the engines. Jacob had a sinking feeling that he would need them.

Just before his Teltac managed to jump into hyperspace, Jacob was startled by the brilliant flash of light, as bright as a supernova, that briefly erupted from behind them. Then the shock wave hit, and his ship was violently rattled, until he was finally able to make the jump.

"Woo, boy!" Jacob said, once they were safely traveling within the hyperspace corridor of light. "I'll say this for Neith, she sure knows how to throw a helluva party!"

'Will you now tell me what 'snarky' means?' Selmak asked.

**SG-1: SVU**

Brigadier General Jack O'Neill listened intently to the briefing that Sam and the others gave him. He sat with SG-1 at the large table in the conference room, which was right outside his office. And while O'Neill was fascinated by the fact that SG-1 might have stumbled onto a former hideout that belonged to the Sons Of Darkness, he also felt somewhat annoyed of this feat. Because he was no longer with SG-1, O'Neill could not deal with this problem firsthand.

While O'Neill didn't regret taking the promotion to command of the SGC, he did miss being with SG-1 on a regular, everyday basis. And the fact that they've now got another big mystery to solve only served to make O'Neill feel antsy that he wasn't out there with them. Although they had killed Lord Belial and broken the back of the Sons, O'Neill always suspected there might be still be stragglers somewhere out there. And, in a situation like this, the surviving bad guys can sometimes be much worse than their big bad boss. Because the surviving Sons Of Darkness could well be plotting a devastating attack that was borne solely of vengeance and their rage.

'And a vengeful opponent with an ax to grind can be ten times more terrifying than anything we've faced so far,' O'Neill thought glumly.

"Sir?" Sam abruptly said. She gazed at him expectantly.

'Damn, it, Jack…your mind was wandering again,' he chided himself. "Sorry Colonel, just nursing some dark thoughts about having the Sons Of Darkness running around loose."

"I don't really see what the problem is," Camille Wray said. "I mean, after all, they were defeated. What harm can they do, now?"

O'Neill wearily regarded the IOA representative at Stargate Command, who sat in the chair at the head of the table right beside him. Camille Wray was a pretty, forty-something woman of Asian descent with a name that made her sound like she should be a silent film star. She had replaced Elizabeth Weir, who was now off running the newly discovered Atlantis base in another galaxy. Sending the Atlantis Expedition on its merry way was the first order of business for the SGC when regular gate operations started up again.

With the even-tempered and kind-hearted Weir gone, O'Neill had found himself dreading her replacementy. But so far, Camille Wray wasn't as bad as O'Neill had feared she might be; however, this was the first stupid thing he'd heard her say, so Wray may well turn out to be another nit-wit bureaucrat after all.

"'What harm can they do, now?'" O'Neill gently repeated the last phrase Wray had said. Then he shook his head and added, "Famous last words…."

Sam leaned forward in her seat. "Just because an enemy is seemingly down for the count doesn't make it so, Miss Wray."

"Nor should you assume they are," Mitchell chimed in. "A rattlesnake may look dead on the ground, but that don't mean I'm gonna reach down and grab it."

Sam nodded at him. "Cam's right. It's apparent that the Sons Of Darkness are still active, and may well be up to something. We can't ignore a possible dangerous situation like this."

'Cam?' O'Neill thought, suddenly miffed. 'She's calling him Cam, now? They became good friends real quick, didn't they?'

"I realize that," Wray said. "But these remaining Sons Of Darkness may just be refugees, struggling to survive. If that's the case, then we should offer them aid."

"Why?" O'Neill sharply asked. "Lord Belial wasn't offering us mercy when he surrounded Earth with a ring of ships."

"And they created plenty of refugees right here on Earth," Olivia said darkly.

"When SG-1 goes back," O'Neill told Sam, "you're to treat the area as having a potentially hostile force."

"Yes sir," she said. "And we'll seek prisoners to bring back, if any."

"Only if they deliberately surrender themselves to you, and even then, be very careful they're not packing explosives, or whatnot. But if they put up a fight, then wipe them all out, if you have to. You may well be dealing with diehard fanatics, and prisoners aren't worth the risk, Colonel. Understood?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

O'Neill frowned at SG-1. "Somebody remind me why you were out there among the Rummies in the first place, again?"

"The Rumai, sir," Sam quietly corrected him.

"Right." He nodded at her. "Thank you, Carter."

"Um, we thought that PJK-282 might have a lead on the Temple Of The Dove," Daniel spoke up. "Which is the location that supposedly has information on those _other_ bad guys, the Ori."

O'Neill nodded once more as he recalled everything. Olivia's good buddy Merlin had told her the Temple Of The Dove would be the place where they could find information on this as yet unseen enemy. Of course, when she tried to contact Merlin again while sitting in the ancient chair in the artic, the sly old fox was nowhere to be seen. There was some debate among the Joint Chiefs as to whether Ms. Benson actually spoke to Merlin when she launched the glowy squids. But everyone here at the SGC believed her, and that was good enough for Hammond and the President, who both gave their blessing for SG-1 to try and seek out this temple once gate operations had resumed again after the end of the Second Korean War.

O'Neill started to say something, when the clatter of dishes interrupted him. He glanced over and saw Vala Mal Doran was helping herself to the food spread that was on the table by the wall. Clad in green BDUs, the raven-haired woman smiled shyly at them. "Sorry! Don't mind me; just getting some of these delicious bagels!"

"What are you even _doing_ here?" O'Neill asked, irked. He glanced at the guards who stood by the stairs and gestured at Vala. "You guys mind doing your job?"

"Yes, sir; sorry sir," one of the guards sheepishly said as they raced over to Vala. She started struggling with them when they tried to take the plate of bagels out of her hands.

"No, let her keep the damn bagels," O'Neill told the guards, "just get her out of here, please."

"Thanks so much, General O'Neill. You're a real prince!" Vala called over her shoulder, as the guards each grabbed one of her arms and hoisted her out of the room. "And good luck with the Temple Of The Dove! I hear it's even harder to get into than it is to find!"

"Um, uh…Jack!" Daniel said, as he frantically gestured at Vala. "Didn't you just hear…?"

"Guards, hold on!" O'Neill called. "Bring her back."

"Oh, yes, you're right," Vala said. "I forgot the sour cream!"

Yet she was displeased when the guards escorted her right over to O'Neill, who swiveled around in his chair to face her. "What did you just say about the Temple Of The Dove?"

"That it's even harder to get into than it is to find," Vala replied, puzzled. "Why?"

"You know where it is?"

Vala laughed. "Of course I do! Don't you?"

'Ok, wait,' O'Neill thought, 'first things first….'

He turned to Sam and said. "You and SG-1 have a go. Take a Teltac back to that moon and check it out. Contact me just before you leave, Colonel."

"Yes, sir," Sam said, as she and the rest of SG-1 all got up from the table with O'Neill.

"I want to see you in my office right now," O'Neill told Vala.

"What did I do?" Vala asked, still looking confused as the guards now hauled her into O'Neill's office. "Look, if it's about the bagels, you can have them back!"

Wray gave Vala a strange look came up to O'Neill and asked, "She's not Air Force, is she?"

"No, she's just wearing BDUs until we can get her some decent clothes," O'Neill said. "She's Vala Mal Doran."

Wray suddenly nodded in understanding. "The former Goa'uld, yes, I read about her."

Vala sat sideways in a chair, munching on a bagel as they entered O'Neill's office. "These are good even without any topping! Anybody want one?"

O'Neill leaned against his desk in front of Vala while Wray stood next to him, her hands on her hips. "So you really know the location of the Temple Of The Dove?" he asked.

"Yes, I do know," Vala said, sounding peeved. "How many times are you going to ask me?"

"Where is it, then?"

"It's better if I showed you," she answered, finishing off a bagel. She held up her remaining two bagels. "You know, I think I'll save these for later. Could I have a bag for these?"

O'Neill took the bagels and tossed them onto the floor at her feet. Then he leaned forward, which caused Vala to lean back against her chair fearfully. "See, this is what I'm talking about," O'Neill said, keeping his voice calm yet firm, "I really hate your attitude. If you knew where the Temple of the Dove was, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I didn't know you were searching for it until now," Vala said. "You know, I've kept offering my services to you, to go out with your teams, but you've continued to ignore me and shut me out of all these meetings."

"And so you decided to just crash a meeting and pretend to have information on a subject you happen to overhear?" Wray said suspiciously.

Vala just glared at her. "Who are you, again?"

"She's the woman with a good question," O'Neill said. "How do we know you're not just giving us the runaround here, Vala? SG-1 is doing some very important work, which they risk their lives for every time they step through the gate. And I'm not about to have you put them through a wild goose chase just because you're feeling bored."

Vala just stared at him as if he were insane. "Why would I want them to chase wild gooses? Look, I am sincere when I say that I want to help you. I have retained a lot of the knowledge I had as a Goa'uld, including the location of the Temple Of The Dove, and I am offering it to you!"

"Fine. Then you can show them where it is downstairs," O'Neill said. He glanced at the guards. "Take her to the gate room, and watch her closely. Make sure she doesn't touch anything. We'll be down in a second."

Just before she was escorted out of the office by the guards, Vala paused at the door and said, "You know that it might be wise to let me accompany SG-1 when they go to the Temple Of The Dove. It's a very ancient and dangerous temple, with many deadly traps. My knowledge of the layout will be of great service to them."

"One step at a time, Vala," O'Neill said. "Find the place for us, first. Then we'll see about you tagging along."

After she left with her guards, O'Neill grunted as he retrieved the bagels he'd thrown to the floor and tossed them in the wastepaper basket.

"Do you think she really knows where this temple is, General?" Wray asked.

"That's what we're about to find out," O'Neill said, as he held the door for her. "Beauty before age."

**SG-1: SVU**

Char'el blocked the attack with a flick of his training staff, and to his surprise, his assailant had deftly dodged the glancing blow he'd given her. But she overstepped her footing, and fell back on her butt on the padded floor.

Rather than move in for the kill, as any Jaffa would do in a situation like this, Char'el instead smiled down at his lover and said, "Very good. You are improving remarkably well."

Casey Novak just stared up at him with a weary grin on her face. Barefoot, she was clad only in scant, snug-fitting exercise clothing that allowed her arms and legs to move as freely as she needed them to. "Really?" Casey asked, as she wiped sweat from her neck. "If I'm doing so good, then how come I'm sitting down here on my ass?"

"Do not fool yourself," Char'el said, as he offered her a hand in getting up. "You have improved vastly since our first training session many weeks ago."

Before Casey could reply, they were both interrupted by the alarm klaxon, which sounded throughout the vast ship that was the Hak'tyl.

"Now what?" Casey asked.

"It would appear that we are under attack," Char'el said, as they raced out of the combat sparring room together. "Let us go see what the situation is."

When they reached the peltac, Char'el was alarmed to see an Alkesh-class spaceship on the main view screen. And it did not belong to the Hak'tyl. The Alkesh was in hot pursuit of another, smaller Teltac-class vessel.

Io'tan sat in the command chair with an anxious look on her face. "Did they see us?"

"It does not appear so, ma'am," Lennox, the peltac commander replied. "The Alkesh is still on a pursuit course with the Teltac."

Char'el stepped along side of Lennox and quietly asked, "Situation?"

"We encountered a distress call, then saw the Teltac heading straight for us," Lennox said, being careful to keep his voice down. "The Alkesh appeared soon after and gave chase."

"Hak'tyl, please!" the voice of a woman pleaded over the speakers. "We are a refugee ship filled with civilians who are fleeing the Goa'uld war! We need your help! We are seeking sanctuary, a safe haven! Please, help us!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Casey urgently asked.

"Lennox," Io'tan called, "take us into hyperspace."

"WHAT?" Casey cried. "Are you nuts?"

Io'tan pointed at Casey. "Mind your words when speaking to me."

Casey looked as if she was about to charge the older woman in the chair when Char'el grabbed his lover firmly by the arms and held her back. "Casey, stop."

"We can't just leave those people to die!" she said hotly.

Char'el agreed with Casey. But there was a better way to approach this than to hurl insults at Io'tan. He glanced at her, bowed, and said, "Io'tan, if I may respectfully say this: It is just a lone Alkesh. We can easily dispose of it."

"Hak'tyl, they are targeting us!" the female pilot of Teltac cried. "Hak'tyl, please help…."

Her voice was cut off just as they all witnessed the Teltac ship explode upon being struck by lasers fired by the Alkesh ship.

An anguished Casey turned and buried her head in Char'el's broad chest. Char'el could only hold her helplessly. He knew they could have helped those people; they could have easily taken that Alkesh. He watched the enemy ship as it now turned and escaped into its own hyperspace portal, and a part of Char'el wanted nothing more than to hunt those civilian-killing cowards down and wipe them out.

"It no longer matters, now," Io'tan said simply. "Lennox! What are you waiting for, get us out of here!"

"What's the rush, Io'tan?" Casey said sarcastically. "There's no longer anything to run from! Or are you now afraid of your own shadow?"

"I warn you, Casey, do not overstep your bounds!" Io'tan retorted.

As Lennox called out orders to the Peltac crew to make the jump into hyperspace, Casey just shook her head and stormed out in disgust. Char'el was about to follow, until Io'tan called him.

"You would do well to instruct your lover to keep her mouth shut," Io'tan told him. "Or else I shall have her bound and muzzled in public, to show all what happens to insolent brats."

Despite the fact that he was appalled by what she had just said, Char'el simply bowed in response, then left the Peltac. Ever since Io'tan refused to allow Char'el, and the other Jaffa of the Hak'tyl, to participate in the battle for Earth, tensions between Casey and Io'tan had been strained to the breaking point. Up until now, Char'el had done his level best to try and ease the tensions, but this became hard to do when every decision Io'tan made since the battle for Earth only served to further fuel Casey's rage. And now, that last comment from Io'tan was not only insulting, but it chilled Char'el to the bone.

He found Casey angrily pacing back and forth in their quarters, still clad in her scant exercise clothes. When she saw him, she started to say something; yet she stopped. No doubt it was the look of unease in his eyes that told her something was really wrong. "What is it, Char'el?"

Char'el shut the door so that they would have privacy, then he gently told Casey what Io'tan had just told him about having her muzzled in public.

Her reaction was a lot more calmer than Char'el had expected. Casey merely took a seat in a chair and shook her head as she stared thoughtfully at the floor. Then she glanced up at him and said, "Do you see what's happening here, Char'el?"

"Only that you two need some quiet time away form each other…."

Casey shook her head as she got to her feet and stood in front of him. "No, it's gotten much worse than that, I'm afraid. Io'tan is becoming a tyrant, Char'el; one who's really no better than Neith is."

"I think you are making too much of this, Casey."

"Oh, come on, Char'el!" Casey cried. "I mean, she now wants to publicly bind and muzzle me? Why, to serve as a lesson to the rest of the people on this ship? That sounds like something Neith would do! Which makes sense, because she's just as much as killed those people aboard that Teltac!"

Char'el gently grabbed her arms. "You must calm down, my love."

"I've never been as calm as I am now," Casey replied. "And I've come to an important realization."

"Which is?"

"Io'tan keeps making one bad decision after another, and now she wants to muzzle anybody who dares to speak out against her?" Casey shook her head. "Io'tan needs to step down as our leader, Char'el. And, if she doesn't, then we need to remove her from power."

Char'el was so taken aback that he released his grip on Casey and walked to the window. Yet the bright, flashing colors of hyperspace were of little consolation for the frenzied thoughts that ran through his head. "What you speak of has never been done, Casey."

"You mean back on Mount Tanis, with Neith," she said. "But this isn't Mount Tanis, it's the Hak'tyl, and it was supposed to be a democracy. But if democracy is threatened, it's up to the citizens to fight for it. I'm not saying she should be killed, or anything like that. She can even retain her living quarters here aboard the Hak'tyl as a private citizen. But Io'tan must be removed as leader of this ship and of its community."

**SG-1: SVU**

"But Io'tan must be removed as leader of this ship and of its community," Casey said on the small view screen.

Io'tan paused the recording from the hidden survellance cameras that she had installed in Char'el and Casey's private quarters and sat back thoughtfully in her chair. After the blow-up on the peltac, Io'tan had retreated to her own private quarters to check up on what Casey might be saying about her, and it was a good thing that she did so.

Because Io'tan now knew that the situation with Casey was not as bad as she had thought. Instead, it was much, much worse.

'We must deal with Casey Novak,' Io'tan solemnly thought, 'and soon.'

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

_My thanks to The-Letter-D for her review. I'd also like to thank all of you who have favored this story, as well as those of you who added this story to your C2s. Thanks very much, everybody!_

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Two**

'This really sucks,' Olivia Benson thought.

She hated the fact that they were even still dealing with the Sons Of Darkness. Olivia had assumed that it was 'game over' for the bastards once they were all killed by the ancient weapons platform. 'But I guess they're like New York City roaches,' she thought with disgust, 'just when you think you're finally rid of them, they pop up again.'

She strode through the Teltac ship, which was parked in the massive hanger bay, watching as an Air Force ground crew busied themselves with loading the ship with supplies and setting it up for the upcoming mission. SG-1 was heading back to the moon that the Rumai referred to as the Devil's Lair. The mission was a 'go' and they were just doing the final prep before liftoff. Teal'c was busy checking all of their small arms weapons with Mitchell. The sight of Jennifer inspecting the MALP that they were bringing with them made Olivia wish that she had some sort of special technical skill, just so she could be more of a help to the gang right now, rather than just helplessly standing around and watching, like she was presently doing. Because if she were busy, then Olivia wouldn't be thinking about the upcoming mission.

She didn't know what it was, but Olivia had a very bad feeling about going to this moon. Granted, the stories about the abandoned Sons Of Darkness base being guarded by 'lesser demons' would be enough to creep anybody out. But Olivia couldn't deny the growing dread that built up within her; it felt like an overwhelming sense of disaster that was about to befall them.

'After surviving the Battle For The Antarctic, you'd think nothing would faze me anymore,' Olivia thought. But she realized that she could be just unnerved by the fact that they were going up against the Sons Of Darkness once again. 'Although we defeated them, they still damn near brought Earth to its knees the last time we fought them. And if even a fraction of the group is active, then what could they possibly have in store next?'

Olivia smiled when she saw Sam and Jack standing together at the base of the ship's lowered cargo ramp. Jack was solemnly saying something, but he was too far away for Olivia to hear. Whatever it was, it made Sam flash him one of her gorgeous smiles and snap off a snazzy salute, a gesture which Jack quickly returned with a grin.

Then they stood quietly for a moment, just standing there and staring at each other intently, and Olivia wondered if they would just break with military protocol and embrace, or kiss…or something. But she was saddened to see the two lovebirds stoically part company without a parting gesture of affection.

Sam walked up the ramp holding her combat helmet in one hand. "Guys!" she called. "SG-1, gather around!"

"Sure thing, boss," Olivia said, as she walked over to her friend with a smile. She had been very pleased at how easily Sam handled command; although a little more formal than Jack's manner, Sam still had an easy-going, relaxed style that suited her very well.

'If only Sam wasn't saddled with Junior, here,' Olivia thought, as she glanced over at Mitchell with derision. While Olivia realized that Mitchell was also a genuine hero of the Battle For The Antarctic (his brilliant, last minute change of dog-fighting tactics essentially helped to turn the tide of the battle) she really didn't care for how he was shoehorned into SG-1, just because he requested the assignment. And he was so stiff, formal and humorless that Olivia could have sworn Mitchell had a Jaffa staff stuck up his butt.

'Still, considering how badly that battle _could_ have gone, I guess putting up with Major Matt Mason here is a small price to pay,' Olivia thought, as she and the rest of SG-1 surrounded Sam.

"Last minute details," Sam said. "Ja-uh, General O'Neill has informed me that he wants a medical officer handling part of the scanning of the base and surrounding area before we go in."

Daniel gave her a confused look. "Uh, does he thinks somebody down there might be sick?"

"No, he's afraid _we_ might get sick from a leftover virus, or an airborne pathogen, that the Sons might have left behind for us," Sam said.

Mitchell nodded grimly. "Sort of like how the Romans always poisoned the wells whenever they were forced to retreat from an area. Makes sense to be cautious."

"Right. The General's concerned that this could be a trap that the Sons have laid out for us," Sam told him. "He wanted somebody more knowledgeable in bio-weapons with us who'll be better able to spot anything out of the ordinary in that area."

"So that means TJ's coming?" Grace hopefully asked.

Sam shook her head. "She's still busy with SG-7." She suddenly smiled when a familiar face ran up the ramp. "Hey, here comes our bio-weapons expert right now!"

An extremely harried-looking Janet Fraiser stopped and stared at all of them in bewilderment. Olivia loved how she looked for all the world like a stressed-out soccer mom right now; which wasn't too far from the truth, since Janet was in fact a loving mother to the teenaged Cassie.

Janet then glanced behind her, looking for the person whom Sam had just referred to, until she realized that Sam had meant her. "What…_me_?"

"Yes, you," Sam said with a chuckle. "We'll need you to run tests on the area we're heading to; make sure there's no bio-warfare elements left behind by the Sons Of Darkness. Didn't the General tell you?"

Janet shook her head with annoyance. "He just told me that you needed me right away for an off world mission and that you'd fill me in on the details!"

"Oh, Jack…." Sam muttered in annoyance. "What was he thinking?"

"What bio-warfare?" Janet asked, alarmed. "Are we going to war again?"

When Sam explained to her that they were checking out a base left abandoned by the Sons Of Darkness, Janet just nodded and said, "So we _might_ be seeing combat…jeez, Cassie's gonna kill me when she finds out what I've really been doing. I told her I was just going on a mission as a medic!"

"That might have been Jack's plan all along, you know," Daniel said.

"Really?" Olivia asked.

"Sure. Think about it," he said to Janet. "Cassie's not worrying herself sick over you right now because she thinks you're off on a milk-run assignment, and you didn't have to lie to her to give her that peace of mind."

"I wouldn't put it pass him to try and ease Cassie's mind," Sam said. She glanced at Mitchell, who waved at the departing ground crew. "Are we all stowed away?"

"Yep, and engines have even been warmed up," he told her. "We're ready to leave."

"Then let's get going," Sam said. "The sooner the better."

Mitchell closed up the ship's rear ramp as Teal'c strode to the cockpit with Sam, Jennifer and Grace. Soon they were airborne, and a few minutes after that, just as Olivia, Daniel and Janet entered the cockpit area, they hit space.

No matter how many times she'd made the journey, Olivia never lost her sense of wonder at traveling through outer space, whether it was through the stargate or in a spaceship. She was still amazed at the interstellar wonders that lay just outside the cockpit window.

"Entering hyperspace," Teal'c announced.

"Oh, yes we are," a sickened Olivia muttered, as she felt her stomach do a flip-flop inside of her once the ship entered the hyperspace light corridor.

Daniel gripped the side of her neck and gazed at her with concern. "You ok?"

Olivia nodded, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it gently. "It usually just hits me full blast for a second, then goes away…at least until we come out of hyperspace."

"That is very odd," Janet said. She came over and regarded Olivia with the critical eye of a medical doctor. She even briefly felt Olivia's pulse. "Do you feel dizzy right now?"

Olivia shook her head. "I'm fine, now. Like I said, it lasts for just a second."

"I've run every test I could think of on you before, but found nothing," Janet said thoughtfully. "I still think it might be connected to the inner ear. When we get back, I want to run some more tests, and maybe consult with an ear, nose and throat specialist that I know."

'Oh, great, more tests….' Olivia thought wearily. She knew Janet meant well, but Olivia hated being poked and prodded like she was a lab specimen.

"ETA is forty seven minutes," Teal'c announced from his seat at the controls. Mitchell sat in the seat next to him, watching carefully how Teal'c piloted the ship as the Jaffa taught him the ropes.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Janet asked.

"A moon known as the Devil's Lair," Olivia replied.

Janet just rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Oh great!"

"There's one other detail that the General told me before we left," Sam told the group, who had quieted down to listen to her. "You know how we've been looking for the Temple Of The Dove? Well, the General just informed me that it looks like they may have found it."

Daniel looked shocked. "Really? How?"

"Vala Mal Doran just showed them where it was on the star charts. It even has a gate address."

Olivia immediately grew suspicious. "Are you kidding me? You mean she really _was_ serious back in the conference room?"

"Apparently," Sam replied. "The General is in the process of dialing it up and checking out the planet with a MALP right now. They should know more about it more once we get back. If it winds up being the location of the Temple Of The Dove, Vala wants to go with us as a guide."

"I'm not sure I trust that Val Doran broad very much," Jennifer said, with a shake of her head.

"Vala was a big help to us in escaping captivity on Mount Tanis," Daniel reminded her.

"That's only because she was looking out for her own neck at the time," Jennifer pointed out. "By helping us, she was helping herself. What's her motivation this time?"

"Maybe she just wants to help us out?" Grace asked, her tone heavy with sarcasm. "Gee, wouldn't that be amazing, Jenny?"

Jennifer just shook her head in disbelief at Grace. "You're such a little _geek_, you know that?"

"Better a geek than _Miss Cranky Pants_!" Grace shot back.

'Cranky pants?' Olivia thought with wry smile.

Jennifer just pointed at Grace with a serious look. "I'm now your superior officer, so watch it, _Lieutenant _Geek."

Grace just quickly saluted her and said, "Oh, yes sir, _Captain_ Cranky Pants!"

Mitchell turned in his seat just then and asked, "Do you want us to turn this spaceship around? Because we will, if you two don't behave!"

A round of mild laughter erupted within the group after that, and Olivia was pleased to see that the momentary blow up between Jennifer and Grace was nothing more than joking around when she witnessed the women trading an affectionate fist bump as Grace sat down beside Jennifer. Olivia realized that their friendship was so extremely close, just like sisters, that nothing could really break it.

As Sam walked by, Olivia grabbed her arm and whispered, "Is it my imagination, or is Mitchell finally learning to loosen up?"

"He's getting the hang of it," Sam said with a smile. Then she leaned towards Olivia and added, "And, speaking of loosening up, Liv, you could start calling him Cam from now on."

"Oh, jeez, I don't know," Olivia said with a frown.

"Now who's Miss Cranky Pants?" Daniel asked. "C'mon, Liv, cut the new guy some slack, huh?"

Although Olivia was reticent to do so, the fact that Mitchell…Cam…was making an effort to better fit into the group had warmed Olivia up to him somewhat. As she later sat with the others, listening to Janet tell a hilarious story about how she and Cassie were trying to desperately row a sinking rowboat back to shore while they were on vacation at a local lake, Olivia glanced at Mitchell ('no, start calling him Cam,' she reminded herself) and decided that she would try and start on a new slate with him after all.

Yet just when she had turned her focus back to Janet's funny story, Olivia's eyes grew wide as her stomach abruptly did yet another back-flip. "Ooof!" she said, gripping her mid-section, "I think we just came out of hyperspace!"

"We have emerged from hyperspace," Teal'c announced from the pilot's console.

"Yeah, we know," Sam called back, as she got to her feet. "Olivia's stomach just informed us."

Olivia saw both Teal'c and Cam exchange a puzzled look just then that was comical.

"I'm afraid to ask," Cam muttered.

Teal'c briefly thought it over, then solemnly nodded. "Perhaps that is wise."

A chill ran up Olivia's spine when she saw the Devil's Moon looming over them through the main windows in the cockpit area. Jennifer took her seat at a side console and began scanning the surface. "Checking for structures, now," she called.

"The base may well be underground, so keep an eye out for clearings that look unnatural," Sam told her, "like they've been cleared by machine or manual labor."

"Got it, Colonel," Jennifer said.

Sam nodded. "Good. Let us know the instant you find anything."

Jennifer glanced up from her console. "No, Colonel…I got something right now."

"Really? That was quick!" Sam said, impressed, as she went and peered over Jennifer's shoulder. "Yeah, that looks good. Send these coordinates to the pilot's consoles. Check out this picture, guys."

Olivia frowned when she saw a photo of what looked like a massive geometric pattern in a field of grass on the screen. "Wow, who knew the Sons Of Darkness were such good landscapers!"

"Almost looks like a crop circle," Jennifer commented.

"I'm wondering why they would bother cutting such an intricate pattern out of the foliage," Cam said, as he and Teal'c piloted the Teltac down to the planet's surface. "It's a waste of energy to create something like that for a place that's essentially a military base. You normally wouldn't want to advertise your presence."

"Maybe it's a landing grid?" Olivia suggested.

Teal'c shook his head. "It is far larger than what would be required for a single ship. And there are no blast or scorch marks to indicate that it had been used as a landing strip by ships."

Daniel took a closer look at the recon photo that Jennifer had taken, then shook his head. "I thought the pattern might be following the foundation of a half-buried, ruined structure."

"You figured that the Sons Of Darkness might have taken over an abandoned castle, or something," Grace chimed in.

"Yeah, but that's not the case, here," Daniel said. "This is weird…."

Olivia shrugged. "Well, it _is_ the Sons Of Darkness; weird is normal with them."

Once the ship hovered over the area in question, Teal'c spotted a structure in the center. "It would appear the base is indeed located underground. For this appears to be simply a surface entryway."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, after she got a look at it through her binoculars. "Hailey, can you get a good picture of this and put it up on the screens?"

Jennifer had an image of it up so fast that Olivia was seriously impressed. She peered at the photo, along with everyone else in the ship, once it came up on all of the screens, and saw that it was an image of what appeared to be a low-slung structure that was half-buried in the dirt.

"Make a circuit around it, would you, guys?" Sam asked.

As Teal'c worked to carry out her request, Sam gently grabbed Jennifer's shoulder and said, "Captain, keep an eye on the long range sensors, both ground and sky; I don't want anybody sneaking up on us while we're checking this place out."

"You got it, Colonel."

"Does this buggy have its own weapons?" Cam abruptly asked.

"Twin Hellfire missile launchers," Teal'c responded, with a gesture at the weapon controls on the console.

"Hellfire missile launchers on a Goa'uld-built ship?" Cam said with a smile. "Did it come with these goodies in the dealer showroom, or was it ordered special from the factory?"

"The fleet of Teltac and Alkesh ships belonging to the SGC were a gift from one of our allies, Io'tan," Sam told him. "The Hellfire missile launchers were added by the SGC, specifically by Sgt. Siler and his team. Why do you ask?"

"If it's all right with you, Sam, I'm gonna run weapons hot while we circle over this thing," Cam said.

Sam nodded. "Good call, Cam."

"Never hurts to have just a little added precaution," Cam said, as he armed the ship's missile launchers.

Olivia joined the others as they all stared out the main windows at the structure as they slowly circled it. "There's an opening," she pointed. "It looks big enough to swallow this ship whole."

"Apparently we found the front door," Sam said thoughtfully. Then she just slowly shook her head, a concerned look on her face. "But something just doesn't add up, here…."

Cam chuckled humorlessly as he nodded. "You're getting bad vibes, too?"

"The bad vibes are so strong it feels like an earthquake," Sam muttered. She glanced over at Janet. "You getting anything, Doc?"

Janet turned in her seat from the console on the opposite wall from Hailey and shook her head. "Just did a scan of the air. It's good, breathable air, with no hidden dangers. But I'm only able to do a very basic scan here. The MALP will be far more detailed."

Sam nodded. "Hailey, are you seeing any sign of enemy activity in the region?"

"No, nothing," she reported. "No life at all…and that's what's weird about it, Colonel."

"What do you mean?"

"No life at all!" Jennifer repeated, with a shake of her head. "No animals, no birds…nothing! The readings say it's warm enough for high summer, right here, and yet there's nothing alive in either direction of this place for at least fifty miles."

"Oh, that ain't a good sign," Olivia nervously murmured.

"No, not good at all," Daniel said by way of agreement.

"Ok," Sam said, coming to a decision, "let's land and roll the MALP."

Teal'c expertly brought the Teltac down to the ground with just the gentlest of landings. As he shut down the various systems, he glanced at Sam and said, "I made certain to land the ship so that its missile launchers are aimed directly at the structure."

"Good thinking, Teal'c."

"Would somebody please drive the MALP for me?" Janet asked. "I'm going to be busy enough dealing with the read-outs."

Sam took that job. She sat down next to Janet and started up the MALP. Teal'c sealed off the cargo section of the Teltac from where they were in the cockpit area and then lowered the ramp. Once the ramp was down, Sam drove the MALP out onto the surface of the moon while she and everyone else watched in the comfort and safety of the Teltac.

"Readings are still good," Janet called out. "There's nothing in the air that'll kill us."

"How's the perimeter, Hailey?" Sam asked.

"Still nothing, Colonel. No signs of life, much less enemy activity."

"Well, so much for worrying about dangerous toxins in the air," Olivia muttered.

"Sam, a suggestion?" Cam said, as he leaned down next to her. "Since we've got the MALP out anyway…."

"Might as well ride it right into the base, and save us the hassle," Sam said with a grin. "Way ahead of you, Cam."

A delighted Olivia smiled broadly at that idea. "Now this is the kind of recon mission I like! Let the MALP do all the work."

"The General is actually considering doing this more often," Sam said, as she casually drove the MALP towards the structure. "He's had Siler build him an armored MALP, tricked out with guns and stuff; it's sort of like having a mini-tank."

"Bad enough the Air Force starts building these unmanned fighters, now this," Cam said with a wistful shake of his head.

"Not to mention the unmanned space shuttle," Jennifer said from her console. "The Air Force had _that _baby flying for over a year, now."

"Yeah, well, if you ask me," Cam said, "it takes all the fun right out of looking around in spooky old places."

"Respectfully, Colonel, but you wouldn't say that if you were on some of the missions we've been on!" Jennifer replied. "I wouldn't have minded a MALP taking my place during some of the events that I've suffered through!"

"Yeah, but there's a lot stuff that you still need people to be right on the ground for," Daniel said. "For instance, it's one thing to examine a temple through a MALP live feed, but it's a completely different experience to actually walk through it yourself. There's so much more information you can glean just by using your sense of smell and touch, which are denied by just viewing it on a monitor."

"Well, we're here," Sam said, once she parked the MALP in front of the main entrance. "What's the air reading, Janet?"

"Still completely clean," she said, after consulting her data. "There's nothing nasty in the air, at least."

"Perimeter's still clear, as well, Colonel," Jennifer called from her console. "No contacts whatsoever."

"Look at this," Grace said, as she gestured at the structure on the monitor. "This was built very recently. It also looks like standard Netian Empire construction."

"In other words, it was built by the Sons Of Darkness," Cam said. He glanced at Sam. "Wanna go knock on the door?"

"Why not?" Sam cautiously drove the MALP into the vast opening, which turned out to be as black as night. She stopped the MALP long enough to switch on the lights, then proceeded forward.

Olivia saw only stone walls in the areas illuminated by the lights. The ground appeared to slant downward at a sharp angle. "Is that a ramp?"

"Yeah, it is, Liv," Sam replied, as she warily continued to drive the MALP down the narrow metal ramp. It was so dark that they could barely see anything, save for the stone surface of the walls spotlighted by the MALP.

"Oh!" Sam cried in shock, just as the MALP appeared to violently jerk, as if something had struck it. Then the MALP seemingly flipped over on its side, and the images all went dark.

"What just happened?" Olivia asked frantically.

"Looks like we might have run into some of the 'lesser demons' just now," Cam grimly said.

Janet's eyes were so wide it was almost comical. "'Lesser demons'?" she asked with a horrified expression. "May I ask what you mean by that, sir?"

"The local Rumai people claim that the Sons Of Darkness left creatures, whom they refer to as lesser demons, to guard the Devil's Lair," Cam told her.

Janet just shook her head dismally. "Oh, I swear, this mission is just getting better by the second…."

Sam was busy reviewing the least few seconds of footage the MALP shot before it went down. "I'm not so sure it was attacked, guys."

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Daniel said, as he gazed at the footage, which Sam had set to repeat over and over. "It looks like it ran into something right here…."

"And then the ramp probably collapsed," Grace added, as she pointed at the screen, "see? There's a slight shudder right there before it fell over."

"The MALP could still have been attacked," Teal'c intoned solemnly.

"Then why didn't whatever attacked the MALP show itself by now?" Daniel asked, as he pointed at the structure through the main windows. "See? It hasn't even come out to attack us."

"Maybe it hates sunlight," Cam posited.

Olivia gave him a double take. "You saying we're fighting vampires, here?"

"I'm saying that we have no idea what we could be facing," Cam told her.

"Indeed," Teal'c said.

'Teal'c sure became good buddies with Cam really fast,' Olivia thought, disappointed. But she then realized that, when it came to dealing with a dangerous situation, Teal'c was simply acting like the professional that he was by putting aside his personal feelings for the moment.

"There's only one way to find out for sure," Sam said with a heavy sigh. It sounded to Olivia like she had just made a hard decision. "Janet, is the air still good?"

"Yes, still clean; no change at all."

When Sam glanced at Jennifer, the young Captain quickly said, "We're still clear all along the perimeter, Colonel. No contacts."

"We going out?" Cam asked.

"Not all of us," Sam said. "Janet, you stay here with Hailey and Satterfield. You guys hold down the fort, and keep the Hellfire missiles hot, just in case we need them. We'll be in constant radio contact with you."

They put on their gear and went outside through the side hatch. Olivia clutched her P90 tightly in her hands, and was instantly grateful that she'd taken the time to learn the use of the automatic weapon during SG-1's downtime while the Second Korean War had raged. Olivia just hoped that she wouldn't have need to shoot it on this mission.

Just before they went outside, Olivia heard Janet say, "Be careful!"

"We will," Sam promised her. "Hey, I've got a chess game with Cassie coming up; I'm not missing that!"

"You'd better not!" Janet said jokingly.

Once they emerged onto the planet's surface, the first thing that Olivia noticed was that the ground beneath them was bare sand. The grass just hadn't been cut in this area, it looked like it had been eradicated down to the topsoil. The other thing that Olivia noticed was the wind, which made a baleful howling sound as it blew though a thicket of dead trees.

'Jeez, all we need now is Freddy Kruger to pop out!' Olivia thought, thinking of the boogeyman from the Nightmare On Elm Street films. They recently watched the remake during one of their movie nights. 'And this creepy little scene will be complete!'

"Ok, we're moving towards the structure now," Sam said into her radio. "We'll steer clear of the ship's line of sight until we come up on the building. Over."

"Roger that, Colonel," Jennifer's voice replied. "Over."

"Hey, something just occurred to me," Daniel spoke up, as they walked.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"Remember what the High Komangi said, about how merchant ships have tried to land here?" Daniel asked.

"He also said several of them never returned," Sam added.

Daniel solemnly nodded. "Exactly. If that's the case, then where are they? Shouldn't there be…oh, I don't know…a derelict spaceship or two left abandoned around here, somewhere?"

"You know, that's a good point," Cam said. "We never did see any spaceships, wrecked or otherwise, around here when we first came in. Wonder what happened to them?"

"Maybe the lesser demons ate them?" Daniel cynically offered.

"Something ate the grass," Teal'c growled, "and in a geometric pattern. Perhaps these so-called lesser demons did the same to all of those who dared to invade their realm."

Olivia really didn't want to hear that. "Hey, are we sure we really want to go wandering around in the dark in there?"

"We're not going inside just yet," Sam assured her. "I just want to carefully check the status of the MALP from the doorway opening for now."

They crept up towards the opening in the structure, which to Olivia looked like the maw of a great monster that patiently waited to gobble them down.

Sam keyed her radio and informed the Teltac that they were moving into position in front of the opening. Then, on her hand signals, they quickly fanned out in single file, with their weapons drawn, all facing the blackness the loomed before them.

They had turned on their flashlights, which were attached to their guns, but could only see stone walls and a perfectly smooth ramp that descended downwards. Olivia was startled to see what looked like a body laying prone on the floor ahead of her. It was clad in a black cloak.

"I think it's safe to say that the Sons Of Darkness didn't leave," she whispered. "There's one of them right there."

"We found what looks like a body, located just inside the opening," Cam reported back to the Teltac over his radio. "It appears to be one of the Sons Of Darkness. Over."

"Is he dead?" Sam asked.

Teal'c strode over and sharply poked the body with the end of his staff weapon. He then flipped the body over, and Olivia was grossed out to see it was nothing more a collection of bones. "It would appear so, Colonel," Teal'c said.

"Wait," Daniel said softly. His eyes were wide behind his glasses as he stared into the darkness before them. "What's that?"

"What?" Olivia nervously asked.

Daniel shined his flashlight on a large black mass that looked to Olivia like a pile of coal. "That."

The 'coal' began to shift and move, and Olivia could see the MALP, what was left of it, underneath the writhing, pulsating mass.

"Whatever it is," Teal'c said, quickly aiming his staff weapon at it, "it appears to be moving. Towards us."

"Everybody get back, now," Sam ordered.

Olivia watched in horror as the writhing mass of blackness collapsed to the ground in front of them and spread out like an oil slick. It was a sea of what looked like giant gleaming insects, each about a foot in length, that advanced on them in a single wave.

"Oh my God," Daniel said fearfully, "I thought we were done with these things…."

"What things?" Olivia cried. "What are they?"

"OPEN FIRE!" Sam shouted.

Olivia put her question aside as she cut loose with her P90. She fired, along with all the others, straight into the line of advancing insects. And Olivia was horrified to see, as her gun ran empty, that this rising tide of monstrosity just kept coming.

As she quickly reloaded, just as Daniel and Sam had taught her, Olivia glanced over and saw something even more incredible. The 'insects' that charged at them appeared to be made completely of metal. Their bodies were flat, square-shaped hulls that shined in the dim light that came in through the opening. Their wiggling legs were metallic sticks.

They all fired again, spraying a flurry of bullets into the charging obsidian tide. The metallic insects that were hit blew apart, but their brethren simply crawled right over their bodies and kept advancing on them.

"TOO MANY OF THEM!" Sam called. "BREAK OFF AND RETREAT!"

Daniel grabbed Olivia's arm. "C'mon, let's go!"

"What the hell are they?" Olivia asked, as they ran for their lives from the doorway of the massive structure, which may well be the actual doorway to hell, as far as she was concerned.

"Replicators!" Daniel told her.

"Oh, crud!" Olivia cried in horror. Although this was her first time seeing these things, she'd heard all the stories about them. About how they were like an ongoing, relentless plague that managed to even bring the Asgard to their knees. Olivia had hoped she would never encounter these things.

That hope had now ran out.

As they ran from the structure, Olivia braved a glance over her shoulder and was stunned to see the Replicators now streamed out like a black flood. They made a horrifying chittering sound that was now louder than the wind as they came right up on Olivia's heels.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

_I'd like to thank Nedy Rahn for the kind review. I'd also like to thank those of you who've added this story, or me, to your favorites lists. Thanks again. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Three**

"KEEP RUNNING!" Sam shouted. "DO NOT STOP! DON'T EVEN LOOK BACK!"

Olivia didn't even have to look behind her, for she could hear the incessant chattering of the mass of Replicators as they chased her and the rest of the team out of the Sons Of Darkness base. 'I think it's safe to assume what these Sons Of Bitches were up to, here!' Olivia frantically thought. 'I just hope we survive to tell the others!"

Daniel ran beside her, and when he glanced over his shoulder, the look of horror on his face was apparent. "THEY'RE GAINING ON US!"

"I KNOW!" Sam shouted back. "WHEN I GIVE THE WORD, EVERYBODY DUCK DOWN TO THE GROUND!"

Olivia stared at Sam as if she were insane. "DUCK? YOU WANT US TO DUCK?"

"JUST BE READY, LIV!" Sam gripped the radio on her chest and said, "HAILEY! DO YOU READ?"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Oh, God, that's not good," Janet said with dread, when she saw Sam and the others come running for their lives out of the opening of the Sons Of Darkness base.

She was just about to call Sam to see what the problem was, when Janet's eyes grew large with fear at the sight of what appeared to be a large black flood that flowed out from the base opening. "Is that oil?"

"Oh no," Satterfield said in a whisper, "that's not oil, Major…."

Sam's frantic voice sounded over the Teltac's speakers: "HAILEY, DO YOU READ?"

"Here, Colonel!" Hailey quickly said.

"FIRE ALL MISSILES," Sam commanded, "RIGHT AT US, RIGHT NOW!"

Hailey stared out the window with wide-eyed alarm. "But, Colonel, you're all in the line of fire!"

"LET US WORRY ABOUT THAT, CAPTAIN!" Sam shouted. "JUST SHOOT THE DAMN MISSLES!"

"Yes, sir," Hailey said, as she hit the weapons' release button on the console. "MISSILES AWAY!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"EVERYBODY DUCK, NOW!" Sam shouted.

Olivia dived to the ground in ground of her just as she saw and heard the Hellfire missiles scream right over where she had previously stood. There followed a series of savage explosions that ripped up the advancing Replicator line that trailed right behind them. When Olivia felt Daniel's arm over her back in a protective manner, she grabbed it and held onto his hand tightly.

'We're shooting Hellfire missiles in a place called the Devil's Lair,' a little voice in the back of Olivia's mind giddily said, 'how apt!'

"GO, GO, GET MOVING!" Sam called, as she got to her feet. "GET BACK TO THE SHIP!"

Daniel helped Olivia to her feet as they began running once more. Janet, Jennifer and Grace stood outside, covering them with their weapons, as they ran inside the ship, which was warmed up and ready to go.

"Everybody ok?" Sam called, once they were all safely inside with the hatch closed. Teal'c ran past her and manned the pilot's seat. Jennifer was beside him, keeping an eye on the oncoming Replicators. Teal'c quickly had the Teltac airborne.

"Yeah, we're good," Daniel said, after a glance at Olivia, who just nodded while trying to catch her breath. "Wouldn't want to do that again, though."

"Any injuries?" Janet asked.

"Just my pride," Cam responded. He was also breathing heavily. "Man, I can't recall the last time I ran so fast!"

"Colonel Carter," Jennifer called. "They're swarming the landing zone."

Everyone crowded the pilot's station, where they watched as the dark tide of Replicators slowly covered the area where the Teltac had been parked. Olivia was stunned to see that the destructive fury of the Hellfire missiles had only slowed the Replicators down momentarily, giving them just time enough to get away.

"How did the Sons of Darkness get their hands on Replicators?" Sam asked quietly. "And why? I mean, did they actually think they could control the Replicators, somehow?"

"Perhaps an enemy attacked them with Replicators?" Cam suggested.

"The Replicators aren't a weapon," Daniel said, "they're more like a force of nature that devours everything in sight."

"So are bio-weapons," Cam said. "But once you unleash them on an enemy, they're still very effective weapons. This could still be a surgical strike on the Sons by an enemy."

"If the Sons have just been taken out by an enemy, someone other than Neith," Sam said, "then that's a potential ally who we need to meet. But this could also have been an experiment by the Sons that went horribly wrong for them."

"Like trying to turn the Replicators into a weapon of terror," Olivia added.

Sam nodded at her. "Exactly, Liv. But whatever happened here, we need to inform the SGC of it, pronto."

**SG-1: SVU**

Kronos walked through the bustling marketplace with his cloak pulled down over his head, so as to hide his identity as a member of the Sons Of Darkness from the chattel of shoppers that surrounded him. The planet of Montross did not have much contact with the Sons Of Darkness in the past, which was why they had chosen it. So they might not even recognize him anyway. But why take unnecessary risks? Especially when their master plan for revenge was now so close at hand.

Kronos stared up at the Ha'tak that was landed in the vast, open plains just a few short miles away from the main city. The Ha'tak bore the symbol of two crossed arrows over a shield, the mark of the Netian Empire. There was a caravan of supplies leading up to the massive ship.

'Perfect,' Kronos thought. 'The situation could not be any better.'

As he walked away, he pulled the folds of his cloak further closed, so as to hide his face from the curious gaze of a shop keeper who stared at him. There was a time when the Sons Of Darkness once walked through the streets of the Netian Empire as equals. But that was before the great betrayal by the cloned bitch who now sat on the throne as Her Lord Empress Neith. A stinking whore who would not even be there were it not for the machinations of the divine Lord Belial, who had set the events in motion that restored the mighty Neith to her rightful place as ruler of the Netian Empire, only to be stabbed in the back by the very same bitch.

'But they shall all pay…oh, yes, they will,' Kronos thought, as he entered an empty market stall that the Sons had secretly bought for themselves. It was closed down and sealed off from the rest of the market. 'First Neith and her empire shall come crashing down, and then the foul Tauri, who were directly responsible for the death of Lord Belial. They shall all be purged in the New Order to come, one that will be ruled by the Sons Of Darkness.'

As he pulled the canvas sheet closed behind him, Kronos stared hard within the eyes of Marot, his comrade in arms, who stood in the center of the empty stall surrounded by the others.

"Are you ready to make history, my friend?" Kronos asked him softly.

Marot nodded his head. "I am ready for this moment, Kronos."

"For Lord Belial," Kronos said. And, with that, the Sons Of Darkness pulled their cloaks over their heads, picked up various items from around the stall, and went out to take their place within the caravan that stretched up to the landed Ha'tak vessel.

It took the better part of an hour before Kronos and his team finally arrived at the base of the Ha'tak. And as he expected, a squad of Jaffa troops came forward to inspect their wares.

That was when Kronos shouted, "NOW!"

All of the Sons Of Darkness then unfurled their cloaks, revealing weapons that they aimed and fired at the Jaffa. Kronos was pleased to see that the Jaffa had been caught off guard to the point where they were simply dumbfounded as they were shot down. The other merchants in the caravan quickly fled the scene in a mass panic.

"Protect Marot!" Kronos shouted to his brothers, as they all ran towards the now unprotected doorway.

Once they were inside, Kronos and his brothers gunned down several more Jaffa while Marot ran over and stood on the ring transporter platform. Kronos seized the controls of the ring transporter and turned the platform on, instantly sending Marot upwards into the Ha'tak ship itself.

"Go with the divine Lord Belial's blessings, my brother," Kronos said, just before he and the rest of his team ran out the doorway. They had all quickly scattered into the dense forested hillside, where they remained hidden.

And while he hid with the rest of his Sons Of Darkness brethren, Kronos watched and waited for their divine plan of vengeance to fully blossom. And he also dreamed of the day when they would take their vengeance on the hated Tauri, which should be very soon, now.

**SG1: SVU**

Tovar stood as a silent sentinel with his partner Milne at the doorway to the ring transporter aboard their Ha'tak ship, HG37. Tovar always hated sentry duty; for he felt that it was a feeble task for a mighty warrior such as he. But for the Jaffa aboard a ship of the line in the Netian Empire, they had no choice but to follow orders, even if those orders commanded them to stand like statues for hours on end.

However, the boredom was quickly shattered when Tovar unexpectedly witnessed the ring transporter come to life before him. He exchanged a questioning glance with Milne, who merely shrugged his shoulders in puzzlement.

Both Jaffa raised their staff weapons at the shape that took form within the rings of the transport pad. When the rings lifted up, the shape revealed itself to be one of the Sons Of Darkness, who stood holding what looked like a large package that was wrapped in canvas.

"LONG LIVE LORD BELIAL!" he shouted at them. His hands moved across the package-

-and that was as far as he got before Tovar shot him dead.

As the body of their enemy lay smoldering on the platform, Tovar and Milne approached extremely cautiously, with their weapons still aimed at it, just in case there was something nasty waiting for them. They had received the recent Empire-wide warning about how the remaining Sons Of Darkness might try something. And it appeared as though Tovar had stopped this one.

Milne carefully sifted through the shattered package with the end of his staff weapon. It appeared to be filled with metallic gears and wires, yet nothing appeared to be working.

"We stopped him," Milne said.

"I stopped him," Tovar corrected him. Then he smiled, because he liked the sound of that. Tovar had single-handedly prevented a Sons Of Darkness fanatic from committing mayhem aboard his Ha'tak! Because of this feat, Her Lord Empress Neith herself may wish to congratulate him personally.

Milne had turned away to call in the attempted attack, while Tovar stood and basked in the glories that were sure to come as a result of his quick action here today.

But if Tovar were a little more observant, he would have noticed that some of the metallic gears and wires had started to move and change shape under the canvas.

Tovar was so lost in the celebrations that occurred entirely within his mind, that he never saw the rudimentary insect-like creature as it scurried away into the vast confines of the Ha'tak ship.

**SG1: SVU**

Jacob was grateful to have finally returned to Porvenis, the current hidden main base of the Tok'ra. After having just been debriefed by the Tok'ra leadership concerning his spying mission, where he'd just witnessed the assassination of three high ranking system lords by Neith, Jacob was now anxious to just kick back and relax for a spell…or at least for as long as he could grab a rest. It appeared, with the Netian Empire now consolidating its power, that they may turn their full attention to the Tok'ra once more.

'The days of taking a break may be fast coming to a close,' Jacob thought. 'Perhaps I should take several days off and try and see Sam and Mark back on Earth before-'

As he walked down the subterranean tunnels, which were carved out of the ground by a special crystal technology perfected by the Tok'ra, Jacob found himself staring face to face with Freya. Judging from the way the pretty young woman regarded him haughtily, Jacob assumed that her symbiote, Anise, was presently in charge.

"We have a special assignment for you," Anise/Freya said.

"I just got back from one. In fact, you just debriefed me about it," Jacob reminded her. "Remember?"

"There is a new development in the Tyro System," Anise/Freya told him. "We have received reports of massive troop movements throughout the system."

"Troop movements? In the Tyro System?" Jacob shook his head. "That's on the very edge of known space, on the opposite side of where the main battle lines of the Goa'uld War are located. Why would Neith divert her troops all the way out there?"

"That is why we are sending you, to find out." Anise regarded him as if he was the most silly thing she'd ever seen. "A merchant ship received reports of strangers lurking about on the planet Tyro, shortly before they lost all contact with the population."

"Did the merchant ship investigate?"

"They proceeded to explore the planet, yes."

"And what did they find?"

"We do not know," Anise/Freya replied. "For we have lost all contact with them, as well."

'This does not sound good, Jacob,' Selmak interjected.

Then, before Jacob could even respond, he was mentally shoved to one side as his body was taken over by Selmak, who said, "We shall make haste to the Tyro System henceforth."

Anise/Freya nodded with approval. "Good. I expected nothing less of you, Selmak. Using the stargate to reach Tyro is not advisable."

"If the planet was seized by enemy troops, they would concentrate their occupation around the gate," Selmak said.

Anise/Freya nodded. "That is correct. It would be wise to approach via Teltac ship, preferably cloaked. Contact us the moment you arrive at the system."

As she walked away, Jacob let out a sigh of relief as Selmak relinquished control of his body back to him. "I wish you didn't do that, buddy. I was looking forward to spending some quiet time with my family."

'This sounds like an urgent situation, Jacob,' Selmak pointed out. 'What if Neith has decided to open a new front, in light of her assassination of the Goa'uld leaders?'

"We're not the only field agents the Tok'ra have," Jacob angrily pointed out. "Besides which, I haven't seen either Mark or Sam in ages."

'Your family on Earth are protected by the Ancient weapons platform,' Selmak countered. 'There are billions of other people throughout the galaxy who do not share that protection. Their only salvation may be our vigilance.'

"Oh, yeah; fine, be like that, Selmak," Jacob said with a chuckle, "go ahead and use perfectly logical rationalization to win this argument!"

'Does this mean we are going?' Selmak hopefully asked.

"Of course we're going!" Jacob muttered, as he wearily walked back to their Teltac ship. "I know better than to argue with a snake in my head!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Well, well," Jack O'Neill said, as he sat back in his chair at his desk, "looks like Vala was telling the truth after all."

He handed the files to Camille, who briefly glanced over them. They contained several hard copy photos of what looked like an ancient temple that had been taken by the MALP, which they had sent through the gate. The temple was buried beneath jungle foliage.

"Any life on the planet?" she asked. "Other than the abundant plant life?"

O'Neill shook his head. "None that the MALP could see. I also had Walter launch a UAV through the gate, and that didn't find any signs of sentient life, either. But then again, the jungle looks pretty dense. It was hard for the UVA to spot anything beneath the canopy of trees."

Camille was about to ask what a UAV was, until she remembered that it stood for unmanned aerial vehicle. A remote-controlled aircraft that sent data back through the gate and, should it be attacked, was disposable, without leading to any risk of a pilot. 'Nice to see I'm finally learning _some_ of these military terms!' she thought. 'Yet it seems that there's still a million more things that I keep forgetting….'

When she was first told by Mr. Woolsey that she would be taking over from Dr. Weir as the IOA liaison at Stargate Command, Camille had been so taken aback that she had blurted out the question of why had she been chosen straight away. Camille's administrative skills had set her on the fast track at the still-young IOA, but co-command of the SGC, alongside the legendary Jack O'Neill, one of the planetary heroes of the Battle For The Antarctic, was a highly publicized gig that everybody and their mother had sought.

"You're level-headed and a team player," Woolsey had told Camille, in response to her question. "That's exactly what the IOA needs at the SGC right now. Especially with O'Neill running things."

With China now a devastated wasteland in the aftermath of the attacks by the Sons Of Darkness, it might have also been a political ploy for the IOA to place Camille, who was of Chinese descent, in co-command of the SGC with O'Neill. The SGC was acknowledged by all nations as presently being the single most powerful agency on the planet, and once she had accepted the position, Camille had unwittingly stepped into a very bright spotlight. The fact that Camille was a woman of Chinese descent, as well as being an openly avowed lesbian, seemed to have assuaged a lot of fears about the single most powerful device on the planet, the stargate, being in control by what many perceived as the "mad dog" United States military.

It was a lot of pressure on Camille, who nearly turned down the job. But she finally accepted it after talking it over with her lover, Sharon, who compelled her to at least give it a try.

"But it's a military operation," Camille had said. "I know nothing about that way of life. It's as alien a lifestyle to me as these Sons Of Darkness were."

"All the more reason why you should do it," Sharon urged her. "This place, this SGC, wields a lot of ungodly power. I know you, Camille, I know your sensibilities. And I for one would feel a lot better knowing you're there, watching over things. You'd be exactly what they need there. You'd be what we _all_ would need."

And so Camille had taken the assignment. And as she expected, Camille had often felt way out of her depth. But General O'Neill, despite being a very odd duck, had treated her decently enough. Although she got the feeling that, at times, he had just barely tolerated her presence.

Camille glanced up from her musings to see O'Neill had been watching her quietly. "Penny for your thoughts, Ms. Wray?"

Camille glanced back down at the photos of the temple and said, "I assume we're sending a team through the gate to check it out straight away?"

O'Neill nodded. "We'll wait for SG-1 to get back. I want them to check it out."

"You sure that's wise?" Camille said, concerned. "They won't have much down time between missions."

"They can take it," he said with confidence. "Besides, Daniel would kill me if this turns out to be the Temple Of The Dove and I send somebody other than SG-1 to check it out."

"General O'Neill to the command center," Walter Harriman called over the base PA. "Would General O'Neill please report to the command center."

O'Neill picked up the phone on his desk and spoke directly to the sergeant regarding the announcement. "Yeah, all right…we'll be right there, Walter."

"We?" Camille asked. "I assume I'm coming, too?"

"Yep. We've got incoming flash traffic from the Atlantis base," O'Neill replied, as he got up from his desk. "You should see this, as well."

'Flash traffic,' Camille thought, as she walked down the steps with O'Neill to the command center. The term created this crazy image of brightly lit cars in a long line of traffic that flashed on and off like a neon sign. But she knew from experience that it actually meant a communiqué from the Atlantis base, which Dr. Elizabeth Weir presently commanded.

Once the location of Atlantis, the lost city of the Ancients, had been discovered in the Pegasus Galaxy, the Atlantis expedition had quickly been formed and had taken one of the ZPM power modules with them to power the Stargate on their end. It enabled them to keep in touch with the SGC, and some of the stories coming from the recently discovered lost city of the Ancients have been both exhilarating and terrifying. For in addition to finding the lost city, the Atlantis expedition had also discovered a deadly new enemy.

"Hello, General O'Neill," a smiling Elizabeth Weir said on the monitor in the pre-recorded message. "Just checking in at the usual time. No new contacts with the Wraith thus far. But we're still keeping our heads down, nevertheless. We've recently discovered some new friends over here, called the Athosians. They're a simple people, but have been a huge help to us. Their leader, Teyla Emmagan, is working very closely with us, specifically with Major Sheppard and his team. And we…"

Camille almost jumped out of her skin when the alert siren blared throughout the gate control room.

"Incoming wormhole!" Sgt. Harriman called.

"Close the iris," O'Neill commanded, as he placed Weir's message on pause. He glanced at Camille and added, "You ok? You look rattled."

"Aged about ten years just now," she admitted, as they walked over to the main console where Harriman sat. "But I'll live."

That made O'Neill smile. "Sounds like you're finally getting the hang of this place."

"Really?" Camille asked, surprised.

"Sure," O'Neill replied. "Hours of boredom broken up by five minutes of sheer terror. That's a normal day for us here. Good to see you're handling it so well. "

"Thank you, General O'Neill."

"Jack. Call me Jack."

Camille glanced at him with a mixture of shock and happiness. 'This is certainly out of left field….'

"Jack it is," she said with a nod. Then she offered her own first name. "Camille."

O'Neill nodded. "I've been wondering about something: are you any relation to Fay Wray? You know, the one from King Kong?"

Camille just stared at him in open-mouth amazement for a moment. She wasn't really sure if he was kidding or not. Then she shook her head. "Um no…."

"Communications from SG-1," Harriman announced. He glanced at O'Neill. "It checks out, sir."

"Send it through," he ordered.

Camille glanced up at the monitors to see the solemn face of SG-1's Colonel Samantha Carter, who stared glumly back at them.

"Colonel," O'Neill said by way of greeting. "Did you check out the Devil's Lair?"

"We did, sir," she replied. "We encountered the Replicators."

There was a moment of stunned silence that hit the control center like a bomb attack. Everyone who worked in the control room momentarily stopped what they were doing to stare up at the screens.

"Replicators?" Jack said, his tone of voice hard. "What happened, Carter? Are you all right?"

Carter nodded. "We're all fine, sir. But we just barely got out as it was. The Sons Of Darkness' base was overrun with them. We couldn't even get inside the base itself, because it was wall to wall with the Replicators in there."

"Any sign of the Sons themselves?" Jack asked.

"We found one of them lying dead by the entrance to the base, but that was just shortly before we were overwhelmed," Carter reported. "We didn't have much of a chance to examine him."

"Are the Rummies in any trouble?" Jack wanted to know.

'The…_what_, now?' Camille wondered. Then she realized who the General had meant. "Um, their name is the Rumai," she whispered.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, with a throw of his hand in her direction. Then he turned back towards Carter on the screen. "Are they in any imminent danger?"

Carter shook her head. "None whatsoever, sir. There's no stargate on the Devil's Lair; no way for them to get to the Rumai, sir."

"Are you heading back, now, Carter?"

"Yes sir, we're en route as we speak."

"All right. Good. We'll talk more about this when you get back. SGC out."

"Damn it," Jack muttered with disgust, once he ended the transmission. "It never ends, does it?"

"No sir," Sgt. Harriman said solemnly. "It never does."

Camille gazed at the worried expressions on all of the personnel in the control center. She knew full well who and what the Replicators were, having read about them in the countless top secret folders that had been given to her to read once she had accepted this job. And just reading about SG-1's encounters with the twitchy little mechanical insects had given her nightmares.

Still, the heavy sense of doom that Camille had now felt in the command center, just at the mere mention of the Replicators' name, was too much for her to bear. Camille had always prided herself on being a people person at heart, and as such she always sought to lift peoples' spirits whenever possible. The fact that she was presently the civilian co-commander of these fine people only made her even more determined to try and shake them out of their newfound depression.

"Well, look at it this way," she said to the group, "there's some good news, at least."

"Good news?" Jack asked her with suspicion. "What could _that_ possibly be?"

"Simple: at least we now know that it can't get any worse than this!" Camille replied with a smile. "Right?"

Then her smile faded once Camille saw the reaction to her attempt at a joke. Just about everyone in the command center let out a collective groan of disgust. One young female Air Force technician just put her face in her hands in dismay, while even the two Airmen who stood guard by the door just dismally shook their heads.

"What?" Camille asked the group. She was appalled to see that even Sgt. Harriman now stared at her, annoyed, as if she had just kicked a puppy. "What did I say that was so awful?"

"If you'll excuse me, Walter," Jack said, with an irritated look at Camille. "I'll be in my office. Everybody carry on!"

"Yes, sir," Harriman replied.

"What is it?" Camille asked Jack as they walked back up the steps to his office. "What the hell did I say that was so wrong?"

Jack just shook his head as they stood at the top of the steps. "You still have an awful lot to learn about day to day operations at the SGC, Camille. For one thing, you never, ever, say that it can't get any worse than this!"

"Why not?" Camille asked.

"Because the main thing you learn here at the SGC is, just when you think a situation can't get any worse, it almost always does. Trust me, just _assuming_ that it can't get any worse is just an invitation to more trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go inform General Hammond that the Replicators are back. I'd suggest that you go and do the same by informing Mr. Woolsey."

Jack then turned and walked into his office, leaving a confused Camille by the steps. She found it hard to believe that, in this day and age, people as intelligent as those who ran the SGC would also be so prone to such a silly superstition as this.

"It's ridiculous," Camille muttered under her breath, as she walked to her own office down the hall. "I mean, after all, we're now dealing with the Netian Empire, the Wraith _and_ the Replicators…how much worse could it possibly get than _this_?"

**SG1: SVU**

He strode through the silent village, clutching the book as lovingly to his chest as if it were an infant. Every now and then, he would use his sturdy staff to shove aside the bodies that were in his way. They littered the streets, sometimes resting on top of one another in piles three deep. Some of them looked as if they had died in each other's arms, as if trying to console each other in the last moments of their life.

'The poor fools,' he thought, with genuine sadness. 'The poor, lost fools.'

He continued this solemn trek, until he reached the main village square, which was once a thriving marketplace here on Tyro; at one time, it was the destination of thousands of people on any given day. The mixtures of conversation, laughter and music would be deafening to hear. Now, it was as silent as a cemetery, with hundreds of the dead on the ground, their bodies frozen in various spasms of torture that they suffered just before they died.

Off in the distance, the stargate was active. He watched as the troops under his command and guidance were busy transporting various pieces of equipment through the gate.

He stopped and gazed at this scene with a mixture of wonderment and pride. For here they were, on the threshold of a new galaxy, filled with new converts, all just awaiting to hear the word of enlightenment. And this new journey, this new crusade for the liberation of billions of souls, had just begin with them right here, right now.

Filled with joy, the Prior held the Book Of Origin close to his heart and whispered, "Hallowed are the Ori…."

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

_My thanks to those of you have have favored either this story, or me. Thanks very much! _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Four**

Her Lord Empress Neith stood on the balcony of her private residence and surveyed the raptor-mounted guards outside of the imperial palace on Mount Tanis with a thoughtful gaze. The snake-helmeted guards sat proudly on their armor-covered raptors, which let out the occasional hiss now and then.

For it wasn't too long ago when Neith had led those very same guards into battle right here, in the heart and soul of the Netian Empire, in order to sweep away the last of Lord Belial's Anubis troops. It had been fierce combat, and the damage from their staff weapon blasts were still visible on many of the buildings. Work crews now busied themselves to repair the royal plaza. Neith knew she owed the Royal Guards a debt of gratitude, for they all fought like ferocious lions. She commanded that the soldiers who fought bravely by her side be given extra rations, plus their choice of any woman to spend the night with from the slave market harem, gratis.

Neith also owed thanks to her Lord Battlemaster, Ba'al, whose idea it was to dump all of the still-writhing dismembered body parts of the Anubis warriors aboard an empty Ha'tak and then send it onto a one way journey into the sun. Ba'al had truly showed his worth lately, for the assassination of the Goa'uld lords was also entirely his idea; using hologram technology that he had personally reworked, which led the Goa'uld idiots to believe that she, Ba'al and To'mar were all present at the meeting until it was too late.

But Neith also realized that she had an unlikely ally to thank for helping her to pry the hated Lord Belial off of her back. For it was the Tauri who had killed Belial and the majority of his followers during their invasion of their home planet.

'The Tauri deserve a grace period, a momentary peace, just for ridding me of Belial,' Neith thought. Yet she would not delude herself so grandly. It was clear that the Tauri had destroyed a major space fleet with the use of some sort of super weapon. That made them a very dangerous adversary; one to be watched and studied very carefully. 'After all, they did kill me once before.'

It was still odd for her to hear of the previous Neith's exploits. As far as she was concerned, she _was_ Neith, and barely a few seconds had elapsed when Belial had imprinted her thought patterns onto that resurrection device of his. However, in reality, a number of years had passed, and her moron sister Mutt had nearly run the empire into the ground after Neith had been killed by a team of Tauri commandos known as SG-1.

The real reason the Tauri enjoyed a grace period of peace right now was because of the threat from their super weapon; otherwise, Neith would have crushed their planet to dust, just for the offense of 'killing' her. Thankfully, the Tauri super weapon appeared to be primarily defensive, located on the surface of their planet. Neith was willing to ignore the Tauri for now, while she dealt with ridding herself of the greater threat from the Goa'uld system lords.

'Ra was a fool to keep them around,' Neith thought. The collection of system lords were once nothing more than a nest of sycophants within Ra's own royal court, who proceeded to tear the galaxy apart into civil war, with each trying to seize his power, once Ra was killed.

'And Ra was himself killed by the Tauri, specifically by two members of SG-1: Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson,' Neith reminded herself. 'Never mind the system lords, these Tauri are the true nest of vipers, here. They appeared humble and weak at first glance, which was perhaps what lulled the previous Neith into a false sense of security in the first place, enabling the Tauri to strike with the killing blow.'

"Well, I will not give them that chance again," Neith quietly swore, as she gazed over the cityscape of Mount Tanis. "When the time is right, _I _shall be the one who strikes the killing blow against the Tauri."

Neith was ripped from her thoughts by the sounds of a squabble that emitted from the doorway. When she glanced over in that direction, she saw Ba'al arguing with To'mar and Sharma, the leader of the Home Guard Fleet.

"Gentlemen," she called, "pray tell, what is the problem?"

All three men immediately looked apologetic. "Forgive us, My Lord Empress," Ba'al said with a bow. "It is nothing, just a very small matter."

Neith, who had been planning to take a swim, was clad in only a flimsy robe over the skimpiest of garments. Yet despite the meager outfit she wore, Neith still regally strode over to the men, her bare feet silent against the tiles, and growled, "What is the problem?"

Ba'al bowed again. "Forgive me, My Lord Empress…but it appears that Lord Sharma has lost one of his ships."

Neith glared at the Home Guard commander, who visibly wilted before her. "Is this true, Sharma?"

"My Lord Empress, we lost contact with Ha'tak HG37 shortly after it left the planet Montross on a supply run," Sharma said. "It did not report to its routine patrol station, and so far has not responded to all long-range hails."

"A trifle matter, My Lord Empress," Ba'al assured her. "We are on top of it as we speak."

"A ship of the Home Guard Fleet went missing? And you consider it to be a trifle matter?" Neith asked him incredulously. Neith had divided the Netian Empire fleet into two branches: the Main Line Battle Fleet, which traversed the galaxy and fought all of the wars, and the Home Guard Fleet, which remained at home and protected the Mount Tanis system. She had felt that the capital of the Netian Empire would be better served by having a permanent fleet of ships present that were always on sentry duty.

"Their communications may just be down, My Lord Empress," Ba'al suggested.

"Or they could have been attacked by an enemy force working behind our lines," Neith said. "And by ignoring the loss of a Ha'tak, just because it happens to be part of the Home Guard Fleet, we allow our enemy to gain a foothold in our territory. Inattention to small details is exactly how wars are lost, gentlemen! Prepare my personal Ha'tak for flight, and inform our Ha'tak escorts that we're leaving Mount Tanis this instant. We will search for HG37 ourselves."

**SG1: SVU**

"Where are they?" Casey asked.

"I do not know," Char'el said. "They should have been here, waiting for us."

They both stood in the empty sauna room that they had chosen to be their meeting area. It was located in the health spa, located next to the baths. They had spent the better part of the day arranging this meeting by sending coded messages to their close friends and allies among the small community on board the Hak'tyl.

Although her lover had not said so in so many words, it had been obvious to Casey that Char'el was uneasy about arranging what was basically the first meeting of an anti-Io'tan brigade. Casey had assured him that they would just use the meeting to sound out the idea of peacefully removing Io'tan from her seat of power. And if there was no support from their friends, then Casey would gladly drop the whole idea.

But Casey secretly hoped to gain both moral and physical support from their friends for the ouster of Io'tan as their leader. The fact that Io'tan made the Hak'tyl sit on the sidelines during the Sons Of Darkness' invasion of Earth was maddening enough for Casey, but every meek and cringing decision Io'tan had made since then, culminating recently in the deaths of those poor refugees, had only served to enrage Casey to the point of taking action.

But the last thing Casey had wanted was a bloody coup d'état that removed Io'tan from power. No, she was more than willing to build support for a change of leadership through a peaceful grass roots movement within the community aboard the Hak'tyl. She had hoped to gently persuade Io'tan to step down once the woman realized that a majority of the population aboard the Hak'tyl wanted new leadership. It would be a change of leadership through pure democracy, an ideal that even Io'tan herself had once sworn to uphold.

After receiving text messages from several of their friends, saying that they would meet with them in this back room, Casey and Char'el then went through the trouble of attending the spa. They each received a soothing massage, which went a long way to relax an anxious Casey enormously, and then they both swam in the pool in the hopes of maintaining the pretense of merely being casual visitors to the spa to any prying eyes.

When the time for the meeting arrived, Char'el went first to the arranged meeting place in the sauna. Then Casey, after waiting several minutes, left the pool area. Because of the humid atmosphere of the spa, Casey decided to wear just her bikini to the meeting. They chose the sauna because its hot, humid air made it a less likely spot for surveillance equipment. Casey wasn't sure if she and Char'el were being spied upon, but she realized that they couldn't be too careful, especially with the paranoid behavior they'd seen developing within Io'tan lately.

Yet Casey's own paranoia had been pushed up a few notches once she saw a confused Char'el standing in the empty sauna. "Did we give the wrong location?" he asked.

"I was very clear where we were to meet, and received acknowledgments to that effect," Casey told him with a shake of her head. "I don't like this, Char'el. Let's get-"

Casey was startled when the only door leading out of the room abruptly slid shut behind them. "Damn it!" she cried, as she tried to open the door by accessing the control panel. "Nothing's working! We're locked in!"

Char'el came over to her. "Here, let me-"

They were then both startled by the sound of something metallic hitting and then rolling across the floor behind them.

Casey spun around and was stunned to see a Jaffa shock grenade right beside her bare feet.

Char'el instinctively grabbed her. "Casey, get down!"

But it was too late. The shock grenade went off, and the next thing Casey knew, her entire world was nothing but sheer blackness.

**SG1: SVU**

'This isn't good,' Jacob thought, as he piloted his ship into the atmosphere of Tyro. Normally, he would have seen about a dozen ships coming to and from the main city, Troche, on the Northern continent. But there was no space traffic whatsoever. What made it worse was that once he flew the Teltac below the clouds, Jacob could not see any aerial traffic as well.

He was glad he'd decided to keep his ship under cloak, because this was a mystery that just kept getting stranger the more he probed it.

"I'm taking it down," Jacob muttered, "for a closer look."

'That would be wise,' Selmak agreed.

Once he buzzed the main marketplace, the mystery of where all the people were was instantly answered. But it turned out to be a ghastly revelation. Jacob's eyes grew wide when he saw the multitudes of dead bodies laying stacked in piles all over the square. There were so many of the dead, they covered the entire ground.

As stunned and upset as he was to see this sight, Jacob's mind still raced as to what could be the cause. "A plague?"

'If it is a plague,' Selmak said, 'then that raises another question: was it natural, or inflicted upon them by an enemy?'

"I'm actually hoping the plague is natural," Jacob said, as he piloted the Teltac back out to space. "Because, is this was an attack by an enemy, I'd sure hate to meet the cold-hearted bastards who did this."

He emerged back into space above the Tyro's north pole, and the moment he rose above the planet, Jacob saw something, off in the distance, hanging amidst the blackness of the cosmos.

It was a large white half circle.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked incredulously. "That thing looks man-made."

'Let us investigate,' Selmak said, 'shall we?'

"Yeah, let us," Jacob jokingly muttered, as he diverted the Teltac over to the strange structure. It almost looked like a piece of abstract sculpture that hung in the empty void of space. But if it was a sculpture, then it was the biggest one in the universe; because, according to Jacob's readings, that half circle was massive, measuring in at half the circumference of a small moon.

As he approached the structure with his Teltac still under cloak, Jacob could make out a support structure located within the center of the half-ring. There were also a fleet of small ships that floated here and there, moving large sections into place at the opposite ends of the half-circle.

When Jacob saw this, his blood ran cold. "They're still building it. And from the looks of things, this'll be a full circle very soon. But why would the Netian Empire be building something like this?"

'Whoever they are, they are not the Netian Empire,' Selmak remarked. 'And they are constructing a massive stargate, Jacob.'

Jacob's eyes flared with shock and fear. The very thought of a stargate this big, floating in the depths of space, was a very frightening thought. "That can't be…it's too massive…."

'In my time, I have seen my fair share of stargates,' Selmak said. 'Trust me, Jacob…this is a stargate. And yes, old friend, it is quite massive.'

Jacob consulted one of his long range cameras and got a good look at one of the ships that worked on the ring...on the stargate. He was further chilled to see that it was a ship whose configuration did not match any known race in his files. The machinations behind the plague on Tyro suddenly came into focus for Jacob. "We're dealing with a new player in this game. And Tyro was wiped out by these guys, whoever they are, because they're using this system as a staging area to build this super gate. But what are they bringing through? And from where?"

'We have learned all that we can for now,' Selmak said. 'We need to leave and share this information, Jacob, and quickly. For it would appear that a new power is taking advantage of the chaos of the Goa'uld War to launch a second front of war. If they succeed, it may well be devastating, for we may find ourselves fighting them, as well as the Netian Empire. We need to warn as many others as we can right now of this dire situation.'

"You got it, buddy," Jacob replied, as he pulled the Teltac into a 180 dive away from the half-constructed super gate. He shook his head at the scary thought of a new superpower invading their region of space. "We'll pull a Paul Revere and warn everybody we know, starting with the SGC."

**SG1: SVU**

O'Neill stood in the main control room of Stargate Command and watched the video that showed the Prometheus as it approached the moon known as the Devil's Lair. Camille stood beside him, her arms nervously folded, while General Hammond stood next to her. On O'Neill's opposite side, Richard Woolsey stood with a faint air of distain on his face.

On the video, which had been sent from the Prometheus, they saw the landing site where SG-1 had encountered the Replicators. They then heard the voice of Colonel Lawrence Newell, the commander of the Prometheus: "Confirm weapons hot?"

"Weapons hot, sir," the weapons officer's voice confirmed. "Target acquired and ready to fire."

"Fire," Newell commanded.

They saw a single white line streak through the atmosphere of the Devil's Moon. Then, on the surface of the planet, O'Neill saw the telltale sign of a nuclear strike: a glowing mushroom cloud rose up from the ground.

The picture then cut to an image of Newell, who sat in his private office aboard the Prometheus. "It's been two hours now since the nuclear strike," he reported. "We have remained on station over the area, and have seen no further signs of life from the Replicators. We plan to stay another two hours, just to make sure. Will advise you immediately of any changes in the situation. Otherwise, will contact you after two hours for further instructions. This is Colonel Lawrence Newell, commanding the Prometheus, over and out."

"What about the wildlife on the planet?" Camille asked, once the video had ended. "Didn't we just wipe them out, too?"

"SG-1 reported that all life in the immediate area was already dead," O'Neill told her. "Most likely having already been wiped out by the Replicators."

"But the rest of the planet will now have to contend with the radiation from that nuke," Camille pointed out.

"All life on that planet would have been consumed by the Replicators in any event," Hammond said softly. "It's not much consolation, I know, but a large nest of Replicators like that could not be left alone, Ms. Wray." He glanced over at O'Neill. "Where's SG-1 right now, Jack?"

"In bed, asleep," O'Neill said. "Tucked them all in myself, once they were all properly debriefed. I even read them all a bedtime story, General, sir."

Hammond just grinned at him while Camille just gave O'Neill a wan smile.

"Well," Woolsey said with a heavy sigh. "I think it's safe to say that we can _all_ have a sound sleep tonight, now that the Replicators have been dealt a mortal blow. And, if you'll excuse me, I think I shall turn in, as well."

Once Woolsey left them, O'Neill saw from the wary looks that both Camille and Hammond gave him that they had the same doubts about whether or not the Replicators were truly defeated.

"What do you think, Jack?" Hammond asked bluntly. "Think the Replicators are finally down for the count?"

"I sincerely hope Mr. Woolsey is right," O'Neill replied. "But I'm not counting on it."

"In other words," Camille said dismally, "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."

"That's the spirit!" O'Neill smiled at her. "Now you're really getting how things roll here at the SGC!"

Camille just wearily rolled her eyes at that.

**SG1: SVU**

HG37 had been found adrift just outside of the orbit of the planet Montross. It was apparent that they had never even made it into hyperspace. Which was just as well, Neith realized. For if the ship had suffered a calamity in the hyperspace corridor, it might have been lost forever, with no way of knowing what had happened to it. HG37 was dark, with no lights, nor any power to her engines. After repeated calls that went unanswered, Neith positioned her Ha'tak over the stricken vessel and ordered To'mar to lead a squad of Jaffa onboard via the ring transporter.

Once they had ringed down, Neith and Ba'al waited by the ring platform for their audio transmission. But instead of receiving a message from To'mar, Neith was surprised to see the ring transporter start up once more, as the squad of Jaffa whom she'd just sent down to investigate had abruptly come back. When they materialized on the platform, To'mar and his Jaffa were all crouched down in a fighting stance, their staff weapons aimed outwards in all directions.

"What happened?" Neith demanded.

"It was an infestation of some kind," To'mar reported, as he and his men stood at ease. "They were upon us as soon as we arrived!"

"_What_ was upon you?"

Ba'al suddenly pointed at the floor. "I believe _that_ is what the First Prime is referring to, my Lord Empress."

Neith was repulsed to see what looked like a foot-long insect crawl off of the ring transporter and onto the floor in front of her.

"One of them ringed back with us!" To'mar said in a panic. "Kill it!"

A Jaffa trooper who stood by Neith slammed the butt end of his staff weapon straight down on the strange insect, crushing its back and killing it instantly.

"I don't know what kind of creature it is," To'mar said, as he stared fearfully at the dead insect. "But thousands just like it covered every surface over on HG37. The walls, floors…even the ceilings!"

"You ringed down to the peltac section?" Neith asked him.

He nodded. "We did, my Lord Empress. I could not see any of the crew. Just those…things! _Millions_ of them, swarming all over."

"Ba'al, study this…critter," Neith told him. "Find out what you can."

"My Lord Empress, I can tell you right now that, rather than being a 'critter,' it's actually a complicated mechanism," Ba'al said, as he bent down to examine the creature with complete fascination. Then he reared back in shock. "And it appears to be healing itself!"

Neith was stunned to see the wires and gears of the 'critter' abruptly begin to move and shift once more. "Secure it properly," Neith ordered him, as she strode from the ring transporter room. "I don't want it getting loose on the ship."

"It will be safely contained in my lab, my Lord Empress!" Ba'al called after her.

When Neith arrived inside her own peltac, she commanded the ship's captain to move her vessel out of firing range of HG37. Once this was done, Neith then ordered the ship's batteries to lock on HG37.

"My Lord Empress," Sharma said meekly. "Are we not going to try and see if there are still survivors aboard the vessel?"

Neith just glared at him. "Are you volunteering to lead the rescue party, Lord Sharma?"

The look of horror that crossed his face just then was comical. "Uh, no, my Lord Empress…."

"Then shut up." She turned to her ship's captain. "Yes?"

"We have target acquisition, my Lord Empress," he reported.

"Open fire," Neith ordered.

They watched as HG37 was ripped asunder under the withering gunfire that poured from Neith's Ha'tak. "Move us away from the area," she ordered her captain. "I don't think they can survive in space, but let's try and spare ourselves any further nasty surprises today, shall we?"  
"Yes, my Lord Empress. Moving away now."

Leaving the peltac, Neith then strode to Ba'al's lab, where she found her Battlemaster examining the surviving…critter from behind the safety of an energy shield on the enclosed the entire examination table. Neith was startled to see that the mechanical insect had completely healed and was now crawling around on the surface of the table.

"Extremely tenacious," Ba'al said with a broad smile. "Is he not?"

"What is it?" Neith asked with puzzlement and disgust.

"A very aggressive form of artificial life," Ba'al replied. "What is it, exactly, and who originally built it, is still unknown. But there is something interesting. The metals that this little beast is made up of consist of the same construction materials that we use to build our Ha'tak ships."

"The same exact metals direct from the HG37?"

Ba'al shrugged. "Hard to say, my Lord Empress. But that would be my best guess."

"I just blew the HG37 to pieces."

Ba'al nodded. "A very wise decision, if I may say so."

"You may. Whatever these things are, if good fortune continues to smile upon us, then we have just seen the last of them."

When a call from To'mar came down from the peltac, Neith took it right there in Ba'al's lab. When the worried face of To'mar appeared on the wall view screen, Neith said, "What is it, First Prime?"

"We are receiving a plea for help from the Montross government," To'mar said. "They say that they are presently being overrun by a large army of unstoppable mechanical insects."

As Ba'al just stood there in shocked silence at this grave news, Neith somberly murmured, "It would appear that we were unable to contain this little problem after all, Lord Battlemaster."

**SG1: SVU**

"What the hell?" Olivia cried, as she gazed at the vast destruction all around her. Buildings were aflame to the point where they looked like large smoldering smokestacks, and the streets were cratered with blast marks from explosions. As Olivia walked through what was left of the street in a horrified stupor, she saw crashed cars and trucks. In the distance, a highway turnoff ramp had collapsed. The taller structures in the city, like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building, were pocked and pitted with large, gaping holes that billowed smoke.

Olivia was horrified at this apocalyptic vision of her hometown, at the piles of bodies in the streets, stacked up like so much firewood. It was so overwhelming, so horrendous, that when she saw Merlin standing before her, his robes blowing in the wind, she desperately ran to the old man like a lost little girl running to her grandfather.

"Please, you've got to help me!" Olivia cried, now in tears. "Please, Merlin, please! They're all dead!"

The old wizard gently grasped her hand, and as a result of this simple gesture, Olivia immediately felt comforted. "This is but a vision of what may yet happen to your planet, Olivia Benson. If you do not seek out the Temple Of The Dove very soon."

"We think we found it," she excitedly told him. "We're going to check it out first thing tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow may already be too late," Merlin said. "Because the Ori are now here, in the Milky Way Galaxy. They have gained a foothold in the Tyro system. Their invasion has begun. You must warn all whom you know and love."

Before she realized it, everything vanished around Olivia. Merlin, and the shattered and destroyed vision of New York City, were replaced by her private quarters at the SGC. Olivia found herself standing barefoot and clad in just a tank top and her pajama bottoms. Although she was still disoriented and very dazed, what Merlin had just told her had stuck with Olivia to her very soul.

"They're here," she whispered anxiously. Olivia had never felt this afraid in her entire life.

Filled with an urgent need to tell Jack, Olivia staggered out into the hallway, where Colonel Bobby Lyman, who had been casually walking with Lt. Gail Emmaus, stopped short and stared at her strangely.

"Olivia?" Bobby asked with concern. "Are you all right?"

"They're here," Olivia told him, just before she started frantically running down the hallway. The Marine officers immediately started running after her.

"Olivia!" Gail shouted. "Where're you going?"

"I've got to warn Jack!" Olivia cried, as she just kept on running. She was still very confused and dazed, but Olivia knew that, above all else, the most important thing she had to do right now was to warn Jack about the Ori. "They're here!"

She ran right past Janet and TJ. Although the doctor and medic were initially startled, both women abruptly reached out for her. Yet Olivia ducked free of their outreached hands and kept right on running.

"Olivia," TJ called, "wait! What's wrong?"

"They're here!" Olivia cried over her shoulder. "I've gotta warn Jack!"

"Who's here?" Janet asked, as she and TJ joined Bobby and Gail in chasing after Olivia down the hallway. "Who's she talking about?"

"I have no idea," Bobby answered. "But something tells me we should just let her see the General."

When an Airman made to grab Olivia, he instantly backed down when Bobby ordered him to stand aside. "Make a hole!" Bobby commanded everyone ahead of Olivia in the corridor. "Just let her through!"

Olivia ran into the gate room and found Jack. She wasn't exactly sure how she knew he would be here, but there he was, speaking with Jacob Carter, General Hammond and Camille Wray.

"They're here, Jack!" Olivia said to a stunned Jack O'Neill. "The Ori are here! Merlin told me they now have a foothold in our galaxy, in the Tyro system! It's started."  
Jack exchanged a shocked look with Jacob and the others, then he walked over to her and gently grabbed Olivia's arms. "Merlin told you this just now? How?"

"In a dream," Olivia said. "I saw New York City destroyed, and he told me that this might happen if the Ori won. He told me we have to get to the Temple Of The Dove soon, Jack. Time is running out."

"Olivia, humor me," Jack said. "What's the name of the system the Ori have their foothold in again?"

"The Tyro system," she repeated. "Why?"

"Because Jacob has just come from there," Jack said gently, "and he's seen exactly what you've just told us: a massive, invading force."

"I just didn't know who they were," Jacob said, still looking shocked, "until now. Thanks to you."

"Oh, so you already knew the Ori are here?" Olivia said with a nod. "That's good, Jack…that's very good…."

And with that, Olivia then fainted away right in Jack's arms.

**SG1: SVU**

When Casey awoke, she wasn't really sure if she was awake. She had suddenly become aware, yet she was still immersed within a blinding blackness. She tried to move, but her body would not respond, and when she tried to say something, the words were stuck in her mouth.

Yet she could still feel, and her sense of touch informed Casey that she lay face down on a hard cold floor. She could also feel a hot wind blowing over her body. Her ears also worked, and she could hear the steady rumbling of a ship's engine, mixed with the sounds of conversation.

When Casey tried to move again, she realized with a start that her hands had been bound behind her back; her legs were also tied together at the ankles, and there was a gag jammed into her mouth that prevented her from making anything more than a few muffled grunts.

She raised her head in a panic, and realized that she could now make out very hazy images of what looked like the cargo hold of an Alkesh ship. The main doors were open, exposing her to the heat of the desert plains that lay beyond. Several blurry figures stood between Casey and the plains. One was clad in flowing white robes and had a voice that was all too familiar to Casey.

It was Io'tan.

"I thought you might like these two," Io'tan told the other figures. As Casey's eyes recovered from the effects of the Jaffa shock grenade, she saw they were a band of men, black market dealers with whom the Hak'tyl had dealt with before in an effort to get badly needed supplies.

One of the men strode over and chuckled as he loomed over the bound Casey. "What did these two do?"

"I do not tolerate traitors," Io'tan replied coldly. "Do with them as you wish."

"Remind me to never cross you in a deal," the man said with a laugh. Then he gestured at the helpless Casey. "All right, boys, load them up in the back. They should both fetch a nice price in the local slave market."

Casey could only let out a muffled whimper as she was lifted up off the floor by rough hands. She was still clad only in the bikini that she'd worn in the spa.

"This one's awake," the man who carried her feet said.

Casey glanced up as the blurry white figure leaned over her. "You should feel lucky, Casey," Io'tan said, her voice filled with hatred. "I could have just spaced the both of you. But at least this way, you'll still have your life."

Casey just let out a muffled screech of horror and fear as she was hauled off of the Alkesh and into an uncertain future.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

_Once again, my thanks to those of you who have favored either my story or me. Thanks!_

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Five**

"All right, all right," a groggy Daniel called, as he awoke to an incessant pounding on the door of his private quarters. He nearly knocked the light over in his frantic attempt to turn it on. Then he nearly knocked over the entire nightstand while trying to pull his loafers on while standing. "I'm coming!"

There was no alarm klaxon, nor was there any rumbling, nor was there a shaking of the overall installation; there was nothing that would indicate there was a major problem, like an all-out attack. Still, judging from the constant knocking at the door, if this wasn't a planetary attack, then whatever problem caused this middle of the night wake up call must still be a biggie.

Daniel opened the door, only to see Teal'c standing there with a concerned look on his face.

"Olivia Benson is in the infirmary," the Jaffa told him.

"Oh God," Daniel said, as he felt his blood run cold with fear. He left his room and ran down the hallway with Teal'c in tow. "What happened?"

"I do not know the specifics," Teal'c replied. "Only that she collapsed in General O'Neill's arms in the gate room."

Daniel gave him a stunned look. "What was she doing in the gate room?"

"They said she was running throughout the base, warning people that they were coming."

"Who?"

"The Ori."

Daniel shook his head in frustration. It seemed like every question he asked only brought more questions. When they arrived at the infirmary, Daniel saw Sam speaking with Jack by the doorway. Judging from the casual jeans and sweatshirt that Sam wore, it appeared she had also been roused out of bed. Once they saw him, Sam and Jack came right over.

"Daniel, she's fine," Jack told him in a soothing tone.

Daniel glanced down at the row of empty beds, until he saw Olivia in one of them, being checked over by Janet. Dr. Lam and TJ were also with her. TJ was busy getting a needle ready for Lam.

"If she's fine, then why is she here?" Daniel asked in exasperation.

"It looks as if Merlin contacted her," Sam said. "Liv had a dream where Merlin showed her a devastated earth, and told her that this is what will happen if the Ori won."

"Merlin then told her in the dream that the Ori have already established a foothold in the Tyro system," Jack added. "While this was happening, I was meeting with Jacob in the gate room, who just told me that he came back from the Tyro system, where he saw an unknown military force setting up shop, after having wiped out the entire civilian population. Right after I hear this from Jacob, Olivia storms in and tells me about her dream."

"Teal'c told me she collapsed," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. "Yes, she did. But she's fine, now, Daniel. Why don't you go see her?"

Daniel glanced back to see a smiling Janet was waving at him to come over. He anxiously went to Olivia, and was pleased to see that she didn't look the worse for wear. She flashed him one of her brilliant smiles as her cheeks turned red. "Hiya, Daniel," she said shyly.

"Are you all right?" Daniel asked, as he took her hands in his own.

"As I keep telling Janet, I feel great," she said. "Other than being embarrassed as hell, that is."

"Why are you embarrassed?"

"They tell me I went running through the SGC screaming 'they're here!' at the top of my lungs!" Olivia said, as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh. My. God."

"Do you remember doing it?"

"Yes, I remember everything. But I thought it was a dream!" she said. "At least, that's what it felt like to me at the time. Now I wish it _was_ just a dream, because everybody's telling me that it looks like the Ori really are in the Tyro system."

"My girlfriend, who can operate ancient equipment, and has casual chats with wizards," Daniel said jokingly. "And now you're turning out to be a really accurate early warning system for alien invaders."

"And I make a really mean omelet!" Olivia added. This created a round of mild laughter amongst the group who had gathered by the bed. When Lam gave her a shot, Olivia asked, "What's that?"

"Just a vitamin shot," Dr. Lam said.

"You're fine, Liv," Janet said, as she wrote something up on a clipboard, "and free to go."

"Try not to dream about any wizards," TJ chided her in jest.

"Unless the dream can be of strategic value," Jack added. "Speaking of which, Colonel Carter, I'd like for you and SG-1 to meet with us in the conference room. We seriously need to talk about the Temple of the Dove."

"Actually, sir, from the looks of things, it appears that we seriously need to _visit_ the Temple of the Dove," Sam said. "The sooner the better."

"Which is what we shall all discuss in the conference room in, say, a half an hour?"

Sam nodded. "Will do, sir."

She started to salute him, but Jack simply waved it off. "It's way too early in the morning for that kind of formality, Carter…."

**SG1: SVU**

A half an hour later, the complete SG-1 team were all fully dressed and present in the conference room that overlooked the stargate. Also present were Jacob Carter, Camille Wray, Richard Woolsey and Vala Mal Doran.

Olivia smiled at how Sam and her dad took advantage of this downtime to privately chat and catch up on family affairs.

Daniel sat beside Olivia, holding her hand firmly within his own. It was almost as if he were afraid to let go of her. She squeezed his hand and said, "I'm fine, Daniel, really!"

He nodded with a sheepish smile as he let go of her hand. "Sorry. Didn't mean to get possessive. I just wish I had been there for you while you were going through that."

"You _were_ there," Olivia said, "right when I needed you."

"I know, but…." He looked annoyed. "I wish we could be _together_, in the same room, while we're here. Whenever we stay here at the SGC, we have to sleep in our own rooms, in separate beds. It feels like spending a chaste weekend at my grandmother's, you know?"

Olivia laughed at that. "I share your frustration, sweetheart; believe me, I do. But this time apart just makes me really look forward to the time we'll spend in our apartment off base even more."  
"Yeah, some things are worth waiting for," Daniel said with an upbeat look.

Jack and General Hammond both entered the room, and they waved down the officers who were about to rise in deference to their ranks. Hammond sat on Jack's left side at the end of the table, while Camille sat on his right.

"The purpose of this meeting is to share what knowledge we know of the Ori," Jack said. "However very little of it there is."  
Woolsey primly raised his hand. "Excuse me? Am I to understand that we may be gearing up to deal with yet another alien superpower?" He glanced skeptically at Olivia. "Based solely on this woman's dream?"

Before Olivia could even speak up for herself, Jacob rose to her defense. "I can confirm that Liv's dream is correct, Mr. Woolsey. I saw the Ori. They're here in force."

"Well, how do you know for sure that the Ori are hostile?" Woolsey asked.

That comment created a chorus of pained grunts and moans from around the table.

Jacob leaned forward and said, "Because, Mr. Woolsey, I saw thousands…no, _millions_…of people lying dead in the streets of Tyro's capital city. These bastards slaughtered the population of an entire planet just to keep their beachhead a secret."

Now Woolsey leaned forward in his chair. "But do you know for sure that it was the Ori who slaughtered them? I've heard that Ms. Benson's dream involved a great deal of damage to New York City; did you see any battle damage on Tyro, General Carter?"

Jacob shook his head. "No, nothing like that. The buildings were unharmed, but the bodies…."

"Could have been the result of a plague," Woolsey interjected. "Entire populations have been wiped out by plagues. It's unfortunate, but completely natural, and it has been known to happen. And we still don't know for sure if the forces you saw were truly the Ori."

"Merlin himself told me in the dream that the Ori have a foothold on Tyro," Olivia said.

Woolsey nodded at her. "I understand that, Ms. Benson. But, with all due respect to you, we only have _your _word that those aliens whom General Carter saw were the Ori."

"That's good enough for me," Daniel firmly told him.

"Me, too," Sam added.

"I accept Olivia Benson's word, as well," Teal'c chimed in.

"Yep," Jennifer said with a nod in agreement. "Me, too."

"Same here," Grace firmly said.

Olivia was heartened to see her friends and allies stick up for her…all but Cam, who sat in his seat gazing steadily at his clasped hands on the table top. 'What, doesn't he believe me? Does he even trust me at all?' Olivia wondered. 'Damn him, just when I was starting to warm up to the guy, he pulls this crap on me….'

"I believe in Olivia, too," Jack said from the head of the table. "I believe we are facing the Ori, here. However, Mr. Woolsey, you do bring up a very good point. We still don't know a whole lot about this situation."

"It's for that reason that I'd like to go back, as soon as possible," Jacob said. "Preferably with some SGC science and medical folks to help me to investigate what exactly happened on Tyro. If the plague was set loose by the Ori…and I still believe in my gut that it was…we'll need to know how they launched it, and what the virus consists of, if we're going to have any hope of fighting them."

"I still want SG-1 to check out the Temple Of The Dove," Jack said. "But SG-7 will go back with you, Jacob. Their specialty is within the science/medical fields, anyway."

"That's perfect, Jack. Just what I need. Thanks." Then Jacob glanced sheepishly around at the members of SG-1. "Its not that I don't like _you_ guys, of course…."

"Oh, sure," Sam teasingly muttered, "you say that _now_…."

That launched Olivia into a fit of giggles, which she tried to hide by slapping her hand over her mouth.

"Jacob," Hammond asked, "you mentioned earlier that you had photos of the enemy stargate?"

"Yes, I do, George," Jacob replied. He stared at the mini-console that sat before him on the tabletop in confusion…until Sam reached over and hit the proper button for him. "Thanks, kiddo."

Olivia glanced over at the far wall as an image was reflected on it. It showed what looked like small ships working on a structure that was formed in a half-circle in the blackness of space.

Both Sam and Jennifer immediately got out of their seats and walked over to the image, where they stood and examined it in greater detail.

"This technology is completely different than anything that the Goa'uld have used," Sam announced to the group.

"It's completely different than anything we've seen, ever," Jennifer added.

As she glanced close at the half circle structure in the image, Sam just nodded grimly. "And, yeah…it's pretty obvious that they're building a super gate, here. It's the same basic design as a standard gate, only a hundred times larger."

Olivia felt a chill run through her as the entire room become silent. She and Daniel joined everyone else as they all abruptly got up from the table and walked over to the wall-sized picture for a better look at this potential new enemy.

Everyone except Vala Mal Doran, who remained seated as she casually inspected her fingernails. 'Nice to see she's taking this new threat so seriously,' Olivia thought with derision.

As they all solemnly stared at the image of the half built super gate, it was Camille Wray who broke the uneasy silence. "Forgive my ignorance, but why bother to build something like this in the first place? What would be the point, when we already have a network of stargates in place?"

"To transport an invasion fleet of far larger battleships," Sam told her. "At least, that would be my reason to build this."

Camille pointed at the work ships in the picture. "Where did these come from, then?"

"Through the regular stargate," Jacob replied. "Both these ships and the components they're working with would easily fit through a standard gate."

"You use the regular stargate to transport your construction crew and materials to the build site, where they build the super gate for your invasion fleet," Cam said, summing it up. He turned to Jack and added, "It would appear, sir, that we have a very narrow window of opportunity here."

"Yeah, we need to stop them from completing the super gate before we're faced with an Ori invasion fleet," Jack said in agreement. "Carter, you and SG-1 have a go for the Temple Of The Dove. Go get suited up, now. And bear in mind that you're headed to a tropical planet, so bring plenty of sunscreen."

"Yes, sir," she said with a nod. Then to her team, she added, "SG-1, let's go, guys! Vala, you too."

Vala glanced up from where she sat with a smile. "Really? I'm getting suited up as well?"

"Yep," Sam replied, as they walked past her, "you need to gear up, too."

"Oh, goody!" Vala said, with a giddy pump of her fists, as she got up from the chair. "Can I also have a gun?"

"No!" both Sam and Cam said in unison.

Vala frowned, until Teal'c walked by her, and she slung her arm through his. "That's ok! I don't need a gun, as long as I've got Muscles here to protect me! Right, Muscles?"

Teal'c just cocked an eyebrow down at her in consternation.

"I've got a feeling this is gonna be a real interesting trip," Olivia whispered into Daniel's ear.

**SG1: SVU**

"Come on inside my office, everybody," O'Neill said to the remaining people, after SG-1 had left. "I need to make a phone call to get SG-7 set up for Jacob."

"It's just as well," Woolsey said, "because I was wondering if I could talk to you all about something."

"You mean you're still not done?" O'Neill asked, annoyed, as he took a seat behind his desk. Hammond and Woolsey took the chairs in front of him while Camille and Jacob sat on the couch by the wall. When Woolsey glared primly at him, O'Neill added, "Kidding, just kidding. What's on your mind, Mr. Woolsey?"

"We're dealing with both the Netian Empire here in the Milky Way galaxy, and the Wraith in the Pegasus. And now we may be facing the Ori?" Woolsey said. "I can't help but wonder if we're not stretching ourselves too thin, here."

"What do you suggest we do, Mr. Woolsey?" Hammond asked. "We can't exactly call for a time-out."

"Perhaps we can, General Hammond, at least in the Pegasus galaxy."

O'Neill gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

"Look, let's face it, the Atlantis expedition has been a disaster," Woolsey said bluntly. "All they've managed to do so far is awaken the Wraith while getting many of their members killed in the process. They still have a lot of very good people on their team, people whom we could use on the front lines right here. I propose that we end the mission and bring the Atlantis team back home."

"That's crazy," O'Neill said.

Hammond nodded. "I agree."

"Why?" Woolsey asked. "What do we have to lose by pulling our people out of a bad situation?"

"We'd lose the Atlantis base, for one thing," Hammond replied. "A vast storehouse of Ancient technology and information."

"I read in Dr. McKay's report that Atlantis is actually a large spaceship," Woolsey said. "Could it not simply be brought back here, to earth?"

"I read that same report by Dr. McKay," O'Neill said. "And in it he also states that Atlantis requires three ZPM power modules in order for it to fly. They only have one, and that's just enough to keep the gate running between the galaxies. We don't have any more to spare."

"The Atlantis team has been hit hard by the Wraith," Hammond conceded. "But they're holding their own, and are even hitting back. If the situation should ever turn desperate, then we'll see about evacuating them. But, for now, we're damn happy to have them there."

Seeing Jacob sitting patiently on the couch reminded O'Neill of something. "If you'll excuse me, I have a phone call to make."

"Before you do, Jack, I have some good news to share," Hammond said. "The Prometheus' sister ship, the Icarus, is finally complete."

"That's great news, George," Jacob spoke up. "I'll bet Larry Newell will be happy to hear they're finally getting some back-up out there."

"Yes," Camille added. "Especially in light of having another enemy roaming around in our back yard."

"I take it they're starting construction on the third ship now?" Woolsey asked.

Hammond shook his head. "No. We've decided to suspend the Prometheus-class ship building indefinitely."

O'Neill was about to pick up the phone to have SG-7 assemble in the conference room when he abruptly put it back down. "What?"

Hammond grinned as he held up a hand. "Relax, Jack. It's not what you think. The boys at Area 51 are making some remarkable breakthroughs with this Naquadria technology. Jonas Quinn, in particular, has been extremely helpful in making us see the potential of Naquadria to the point where we have decided to start building a bigger, more powerful class of warship. That's what they're working on as we speak right now."

O'Neill nodded in understanding. "I'm glad Quinn is working out so well over there."

"He is. I've seen the finalized blueprints of the new ship, and it's three times the size of the Prometheus, with two separate landing bays," Hammond said. "And they promise to have it, along with a sister ship, ready within six months."

"That's just great, sir," O'Neill said, as he reached for the phone once more.

"You know, Jack, you _can_ call me George."

That gave O'Neill an idea. "Well, George, as long as we're on the subject of names, if you guys should need an idea for the name of the new ship, I've got one that's….."

"Oh, no!" Jacob muttered in mock-annoyance to a smiling Camille. "Here he goes again!"

But Hammond was already shaking his head. "Sorry, Jack, but we're not calling this one the Enterprise, either."

"Fine, that's fine," O'Neill said, miffed. He paused when he picked up the phone. "May I ask what you _are_ calling it?"

"The Daedalus," Hammond replied.

"The Daedalus," O'Neill repeated with a mild look of repulsion. "That's a nice name…I guess…."

**SG1: SVU**

'Damn it,' Neith thought.

She stared at the main view screen aboard her Ha'tak, which showed an image that was being relayed to them from the surface of Montross by one of their Alkesh ships. She had ordered the Alkesh to fly low over the cityscape, so that they could see what was happening on the ground.

And now, after having seen the horrific images, Neith wished she could somehow un-see everything.

Throngs of people ran in a wild panic through the streets, and they were basically the lucky ones. What they ran from appeared to be a vast black flood that sithered down the street. Neith ordered a close-up, and then she could see the black swarm was actually millions of the metallic insect-like creatures. Their drive down the street was relentless to the point of being scary. A platoon of Jaffa stood in their way, all firing their staff weapons at the oncoming tide of the little monsters over and over and over again.

But still they came onward. They crawled up the walls and jumped off, landing right in the faces of the Jaffa, who let out screams as they tried to rip the wiggling metal monsters off of their heads. Once the desperate men tripped and fell into the surging tide of the metallic monsters, the Jaffa were gone from sight. They had seemingly been swallowed whole by the little monsters.

Ba'al walked up to her side and bowed. "My Lord Empress, the rest of the Home Guard fleet is here, and in position all around the planet, just as you ordered."

Neith strode up to her throne and wearily sat down. She glanced down at her body and saw that she still wore her swimsuit underneath the robe. How did a day that started as one of rest and relaxation had so quickly turned into a nightmare?

She glanced over at Ba'al, and said, "Proceed."

Ba'al gave her a nod, then relayed the orders to the rest of the fleet. Within minutes, all of the Ha'taks in orbit above Montross opened fire on the planet's surface at the same time. A systematic anniliation of all life, including those damned metallic insects, had begun.

And yet, as Neith watched as the surface of Montross was slowly being turned into a firey lifeless wasteland, she had the sinking feeling that this waking nightmare was far from being over.

**SG1: SVU**

Casey lay there quietly, breathing steadily through her nose, until her eyes slowly regained their vision. She had been temporarily blinded, thanks to a Jaffa shock grenade. But, after several minutes, she was finally able to see clearly once again. She was inside what looked like the cramped cargo hold of another ship. Bound hand and foot, Casey was also gagged. To make matters worse, she was still clad only in the bikini that she wore to the meeting in the sauna room.

But her scant clothing was really the least of her worries right now. Io'tan had apparently been watching their every move aboard the Hak'tyl, and Casey and Char'el had stupidly walked right into a trap that she had set up for them. Instead of a meeting with sympathetic allies in the sauna room, they found a Jaffa shock grenade instead. Io'tan then had them trussed up and gagged, and then dumped them into the hands of a group of traders.

'Io'tan, you bitch,' Casey thought, with a mixture of rage and sadness. 'Is this what things have come to on the Hak'tyl? Is this the kind of leadership the rest of the community can expect from you?'

When she heard a muffled grunt to her right, Casey glanced over and saw that Char'el was awake, and it appeared his vision had also returned, for he gazed at her with alarm. He lay facedown on the deck of the cargo hold, with his wrists bound behind his back. Casey lay close enough to him to be able to touch him with her own bound hands.

Char'el abruptly twisted his body so that he rolled on his side, with his back facing Casey. Once he wiggled his tied hands, Casey realized what he wanted her to do.

Casey then brought her knees up to her chest and rolled over so that she lay on her side, with her tied hands now facing Char'el's. Glancing over her bare shoulder, Casey proceed to pick apart the knot that bound her lover's wrists together. It was a slow and tedious process, and at first Casey wasn't sure if she could free Char'el in this fashion. But she was soon elated when she felt the bond's on Char'el's wrists grow slack.

"Well, well," a grizzly-looking man in grease-stained clothes said. "What do you think you're doing, there…huh, missy?"

Casey let out an anguished cry beneath her gag as the beefy man effortlessly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. As she was helplessly being carried off, Casey could only stare longingly as the still-trussed up Char'el.

'It's too soon,' Casey thought frantically, 'it's too damn soon! Just another five minutes, and I would have had him untied!'

Casey let out a grunt as the man roughly dropped her down on a narrow bunk that was built into the wall. Whatever kind of ship this was, it was a pretty grimy place. Casey cringed as the cot she lay on smelled musty and stale.

Thye man smiled toothlessly down at her as he began to undo his clothing. "I figure it won't be no harm to give you a little ride before we sell ya at the slave market," he said with a chuckle. "It only makes sense to check the merchandise before you sell it, right?"

'Oh my God,' Casey thought, as the man then untied her feet. Once her feet were free, she tried kicking him, but he grabbed them and retied each ankle to the opposite sides of the bunk. Her legs were now spread open.

Casey didn't need a picture painted as to what he was about to do to her. She had served as a district attorney for the Special Victims Unit in New York City in which felt like a lifetime ago. Casey had seen her fair share of horrors commited against human beings on earth, and sadly the human beings who lived out among the stars were no different in their malice and cruelty.

The man then dangled his hands over the tie-strings of her bikini bottom and gave her a lusty look. "Now, I guess all I have to do is just pull on these little strings, and you're going to get what…."

He stopped when a large shadow fell over them.

Char'el grabbed the man by the back of his collar and bashed his head against the top of the bunk repeatedly. When the Jaffa was through with him, Casey's would-be rapist's face was mangled and bloody, as Char'el dropped him like a sack of garbage on the floor. Then the hulking Jaffa gave the man a few swift kicks for good measure.

Casey let out a sigh of relief when Char'el turned his attention to her. He quickly had her untied and held her tightly in his muscular arms.

"I thought I wasn't fast enough," Casey said into his ear. "I thought you were still helplessly tied up when he carried me off."

Char'el pulled her out of the hug just enough to be able to stare lovingly into her eyes. "You should know that you always give me what I need, Casey Novak."

They kissed passionately then. But their tender moment was interrupted by a clanging sound from somewhere off in the ship.

"We are not out of danger just yet," Char'el said. "Come with me."

But Casey paused by the prone body of her attacker. "Wait, shouldn't we tie him up, first?"

"He will no longer be a problem for anyone," Char'el told her.

Casey then did a double take at the man who had almost raped her, and realized that he was dead.

"Good riddance," Casey murmured. She then ran off, hand in hand with Char'el, as he led her over to a locker.

Char'el smiled happily when he found a Zat gun. "It is fully charged."

"How many more of them are there?" Casey asked.

"There is one less of them now," Char'el replied. "The Zat will make it easier to take the ship, but we must still be careful."

"We don't even know where we are right now," Casey said.

"The ship has landed. I glanced out a porthole and saw we are on a planet."

"Then maybe we should just sneak off the ship," Casey suggested.

"We have no clothes, no food, no means of survival," Char'el told her. "Besides, I have no intention of letting Io'tan get away with this. If we are to get back to the Hak'tyl, we will need a ship."

Although Casey had no desire to press their luck, what Char'el said made perfect sense to her. They were extremely vulnerable right now, and wouldn't survive for very long without any clothing or gear. If they had no choice but to stay with the ship, then they might as well try and take it over.

They left the cargo hold in search of the bridge. Casey ran down a corridor, being careful to stay behind Char'el, who was armed with the Zat. Char'el, who was bare-chested and clad only in a loincloth from the spa, reminded Casey of John Carter, Warlord of Mars.

'And if he's John Carter, then I must be Deja Thoris,' Casey thought with a slight smile. 'Won't Rodney McKay be happy!'

When they came to a junction, Char'el gestured for Casey to remain behind while he checked it out.

Casey's eyes grew wide when she felt a sudden rush of air from behind her. Before she could react, a pair of muscular arms grabbed her from behind and a knife was held to her throat.

Char'el spun around and pointed his Zat at Casey's new attacker.

"Drop it," the man who held Casey warned. "Or, so help me, I'll slit her…."

Casey reached down with one hand and grabbed the man's crotch. Then she squeezed. Very hard.

The man released her as he let out a cry of pain.

"CASEY, DROP!" Char'el ordered.

Casey dived to the metal grate floor just as Char'el shot the man who grabbed her with the Zat. When a second man appeared in the corridor behind Char'el, Casey shouted, "LOOK OUT!"

The man fired his weapon, but missed. Yet Char'el's aim was true. He dropped the assailant with one shot. Char'el went over and collected the second man's Zat. He gave it to Casey.

An alarm went off onboard the ship, as Casey both heard and felt a loud rumbling. "Are we taking off?"

"No, somebody has opened the rear cargo bay doors," Char'el said. "We need to shut them if we are to take off."

They ran back to the cargo bay, then stopped dead in their tracks once they reached the doorway. The sight that greeted them in the cargo bay had chilled Casey to the bone.

A group of Jaffa warriors, all bearing the mark of the Netian Empire, stormed on board the ship, with their staff weapons ready.

Char'el and Casey ducked into an alcove before they could be seen by the troops.

"Very well, perhaps we should abandon ship," Char'el whispered.

"How?" Casey asked. "They've got the rear doors covered."

Char'el pointed at a side door. "Through there. Hurry!"

The side door opened with a manual lever, which reminded Casey of a pressure door on a submarine. There was a sharp drop of about two feet onto what appeared to be a rough-stone surface. And here she was, with no shoes, much less clothes.

'Next time I plan a secret meeting, it'll be in a place where we'll all be fully dressed!' Casey reminded herself.

Char'el climbed down to the ground and held out his hands, ready to help her out of the ship.

But a sound stopped Casey. It was the constant firing of staff weapons in the distance. Then she also heard what sounded like screaming. She glanced at the city skyline around them; it was a small village of two-story straw-roofed houses that surrounded the landing field. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"We're on Hannos, a farming planet," Char'el told her. "I do not know what is going on, but we can use the chaos to safely move around in and hide. Come, Casey."

But as he brought her down from the doorway, Casey's eyes grew wide when she saw a squadron of Jaffa come around the corner of a building, straight at them. "Char'el!" she pointed.

Char'el made a move to hide, but it was too late. The Jaffa had already seen them. Casey's lover assumed a fighting stance in front of her, as he aimed his Zat at the oncoming Jaffa. Casey tried to remember her combat training, but she realized there was little point: they were outgunned by the Jaffa.

'Well,' Casey grimly thought, 'we may get gunned down, but we're not going down without a fight!'

They both stood there, scantily dressed for a day lounging in the warm sauna, yet now armed with Zats, as they both bravely faced down the Jaffa…who just kept on running right past them, as if Casey and Char'el weren't even there.

"What the hell?" Casey muttered. She watched the Jaffa with a puzzled look as they ran for their lives away from them. Casey was both confused and relieved at the same time. "What's their problem?"

Char'el pointed at something with wide eyes. "That."

Casey glanced at the same corner from which the Jaffa had just rounded. What she saw was so surreal, Casey couldn't believe her eyes. It looked like a large black oil slick that moved quickly over the ground. But it was accompanied by this weird chattering sound, as if all of the insects in the universe had gotten together and formed a chorus.

Then she realized the chattering sound came from the oil slick, which, on closer examination, turned out to be a mass of large, gleaming insects that advanced towards them.

"Is it my imagination," Casey said to Char'el, "or has it been really hard for us to get a break, lately?"

**To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

_My thanks to those who have either favored me, or this story. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Six**

"Get in!"

As hard as she tried, Casey just couldn't take her eyes off of the advancing tide of strange black insects. Looking at them was almost hypnotic. And there was something strange about them. They didn't look real…no, that wasn't right; they didn't look like they were living creatures, they weren't organic, but metallic.

"Casey!" Char'el shook her out of her odd musings. "We must go!"

"Where?" she asked hopelessly. "These things are everywhere!"

The ship they stood next to began to rumble as her engines started up. "Back in there," Char'el said. "Back in the ship."

"But there's a squad of Jaffa inside!"

"We have no choice," Char'el told her. He effortlessly lifted Casey back up to the side door of the ship. "As you have said on many occasions: better the devil you know…."

"…then the one you don't," Casey murmured as she helped him back through the doorway.

They had crawled back inside just in time, for the ship had just taken off the instant Char'el had climbed aboard. The ground, which was rapidly being completely covered with the strange insects, fell away from them as Char'el slammed the door shut.

No sooner had Casey turned around then she found herself staring at two Jaffa warriors who held their staff weapons right at them.

"Shol'va!" one of the Jaffa yelled, as he glared at Char'el with hatred.

'Oh damn,' Casey thought. She knew Shol'va was the Jaffa word for traitor. They had obviously seen the Netian Empire symbol tattoo on Char'el's forehead.

With little choice but to surrender, Casey and Char'el dropped their Zats on the floor and raised their hands up. The Jaffa escorted them back to the cargo section, where Casey saw the bodies of the crew lying in a pile on the floor. They had been killed by staff weapon blasts. A tough looking Jaffa swaggered around the bodies, until he saw Casey and Char'el being brought before him.

He did a double take at Char'el, then smiled. "Well, the Shol'va returns, eh? Were you caught with this whore in bed when the cursed insects attacked? Too cowardly to stand and fight like a Jaffa, you instead ran half naked through the streets with your whore? Is that right, Char'el?"

"He knows you?" Casey asked her lover.

"This is Mar'dec," Char'el told her, as he glowered at the other Jaffa. "He was a part of my unit on Mount Tanis."

"We are no longer assigned to Mount Tanis, Char'el," Mar'dec said. "After you ran like the dog you were, our unit was banished from the capital of the Netian Empire. We were stripped of our honor by being reassigned guard duty to this stinking backwater of a planet, at least until those creatures attacked."

"What are those creatures?" Char'el asked.

Mar'dec's response was to smash the butt of his staff weapon into Char'el's stomach. Char'el doubled over in pain.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Casey cried, as she tired to attack Mar'dec, but was held back by two of the Jaffa.

"Bind and gag them both," Mar'dec ordered. "Neith's ship is in orbit. We shall present this Shol'va and his whore to Her Lord Empress and let her decide their fates. Perhaps as a token of her appreciation for these two generous gifts, Her Lord Empress shall see fit to restore our unit to its former glory."

'Being presented as prisoners before Neith herself,' Casey dismally thought. She was roughly bent facedown over a cargo crate, where her hands were quickly bound together behind her back with leather strips. 'And just when I thought this day couldn't get any worse….'

**SG1: SVU**

When Sam secured the radio to her combat vest, she did a double take when she realized it felt different. It was the same color and shape as always, yet the surface of the radio, along with her hand-held scanner, had these strange ridges embedded on the surface.

Olivia, who was busy suiting up next to Sam in the women's locker room, paused when she picked up her own radio. "Hey, why does this feel funny?"

"How is it supposed to feel?" Vala asked. She stood with her arms outstretched as Satterfield was busy showing her the proper way to put her combat vest on.

"Pay attention," Satterfield chided Vala. "You need to learn how to do this."

Vala just gave her a board smile. "Yes, but you're doing it for me, love! So why should I bother?"

In response, Satterfield shot her a murderous look.

"Grace, you show her how to put the vest on properly?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Colonel, I did." Satterfield gave Vala another angry glare.

"Then take it off of her," Sam ordered. "Make Vala put it on the correct way herself this time."

"Oh, wait," Vala said with annoyance, as Satterfield happily removed the vest from her torso. Then the Lieutenant shoved it into her hands. "That's hardly very sporting, now, is it?"

"Just put the damn vest on, Vala," Olivia said.

"Or else what?" Vala challenged.

Olivia now had a murderous look on her face as she made a move to storm over to Vala, until Sam stopped her. "Easy, Liv, easy…calm down, girl."

"Can I just hurt her a little bit?" Olivia pleaded. "Please, Sam?"

Sam was sorely tempted to just let Olivia loose, but before she could even reply, Hailey hurried into the women's locker room, muttering "Please, please, oh please…."

When she opened her own locker and examined the electronic gear, Hailey let out an excited little whoop as she pumped her fist in the air.

As she put her vest back on, Vala stared at Hailey with wide, fearful eyes. "Are all the women on this planet crazy? And am I next to catch whatever crazy bug you have?"

"You have nothing to worry about," Olivia told her. "You're already frigging crazy."

"Oh, aren't you _such_ a little darling!" Vala shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hailey grinned as she held up her scanner. "Our equipment's been shielded with the Faraday Design, Colonel! We're in business!"

Sam knew the Faraday Design was a special casing that protected electronic equipment from being wiped out by an EMP burst. And the fact that all their gear had been covered with it could only mean one thing. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Hailey nodded. "The EMP guns. They're ready. We can take them out now, if you want."

Sam felt giddy at the thought of trying out some new tech. "Oh, yes, I want. I want very much!"

"Does anybody know what these two are prattling on about?" Olivia jokingly asked the other women.

Vala shook her head dismally. "I haven't the faintest idea! I'm still wondering why General O'Neill would think that I'd want you to chase wild gooses."

"Geese," Grace corrected her.

Vala looked down around her feet. "What? Really? Where?"

Before that silliness could go any further, Sam quickly said, "The EMP guns are so named because they fire an EMP burst. An electro-magnetic pulse. It wipes out all electronic equipment within a given area. We originally were working on them to wipe the electronic chips that controlled the Anubis troops. It would have broken the control that the Netian Empire had over them."

"Strange," Satterfield suddenly muttered to herself.

"What's strange, Grace?" Olivia asked.

"Well, it's just occurred to me that we haven't been seeing too many of the Anubis troops, lately," Satterfield said, as she finished dressing. "Most of the major assaults that Neith recently carried out against the Goa'uld system lords were done strictly with Jaffa troops."

"Lord Belial attacked Earth using mainly Anubis troops," Olivia said. "Maybe they were all wiped out."

"But why not just make more?" Hailey asked. She was already completely dressed in her field gear.

"They could make as many as they want to," Vala replied, as the women left the locker room. "There's a multitude of cloning tanks on Mount Tanis, enough to create an entire army at a single time."

This bothered Sam to no end. The Anubis troops were invincible warriors; what would be the use of not using them? Unless Neith was planning to use them in a special operation. 'No matter what the case is, it feels like something big is going on behind the scenes within the Netian Empire,' Sam thought. 'And we'd should find out, the sooner the better.'

They met up with Cam, Daniel and Teal'c in the hallway. "Ladies," Cam said with a slight bow, "you all look as gorgeous as ever."

"Really?" Vala asked, as she patted her combat vest with both hands. "This doesn't make me look fat?"

The look of exasperation that Cam shot her just then was priceless. "Why's she coming along, again?" he whispered to Sam, as they all walked down to the armory.

"She's the guide, remember?" Sam reminded him.

"I still have the memories of Qetesh," Vala told them. "That makes me very valuable to you guys!"

"So you keep reminding us," Olivia said wearily, "over and over and over again…."

"Hey, Sam?" Daniel asked, as he absently rubbed his radio. "You notice something funny with the gear?"

"Feels funny, doesn't it?" Sam said with a smile. "You're about to find out why."

Once in the armory, they received their standard automatic weapons, along with Zat guns and a Glock for Olivia, who still wanted to wear her favorite handgun, despite recently learning how to use a P90. Then they were presented with the EMP guns. They were squat little black boxes with triggers. Sam admired the plain and simple design.

Hailey explained to the boys what they were. "There's only enough of a charge for one blast," she said. "That's all we could load into one gun."

"And our equipment's protected from the blast?" Daniel asked.

Hailey rubbed her hand on her radio. "Hence the ridges."

"Ruffles have ridges," Cam said with a satisfied nod. "I love it."

"Well, I don't," Vala said, annoyed. "Where's mine?"

"You don't get one," Sam told her. "No guns, remember?"

"That's not a gun," Vala cried. "It looks like a toy!"

"And she wonders why we won't arm her, with an attitude like that?" Olivia muttered, as they made their way to the gate room.

Sam was pleased to see Jack waited for her there, along with her dad. "You ready, Colonel?" Jack asked her.

"SG-1 is ready, sir," she replied.

Jack turned to Walter, who sat in the control room, and made a spinning gesture with his hand. "Dial it, Walter!"

While the sergeant went through the chevron-by-chevron countdown that led to activating the stargate, Sam gave her father a parting hug. "You take care of yourself, kiddo."

"You too, dad. You're still going back to Tyro?"

Her father nodded. He gave Jack an annoyed look. "With SG-7, on board the Prometheus…Jack insisted."

Jack just wearily shook his head. "We went over this, Jacob…."

"And I still think it's a bad idea, Jack. I work best undercover, and going in with a battleship isn't very subtle."

"I told you that your Teltac will be aboard the Prometheus," Jack replied. "The Prommie will only go so far into the Tyro system without being detected, then you can do your little spy thing to your heart's content with the aid of SG-7. The Prommie will remain on station to back you up."

"Don't get me wrong, Larry's a fine officer. But what if the Ori have far better scanners than we had anticipated?" Jacob asked. "What if they still detect the Prometheus, no matter what precautions Larry takes?"

"And what if the super gate is a lot closer to being finished than we'd thought?" Jack countered. "I'd prefer the Prometheus to already be there to handle whatever situation should occur, rather than send them after you on a rescue mission."

Sam had to admit, Jack had a very good point. But she knew her dad, and how bull-headed he could be when he thought he was right…which was always. When the stargate opened with its usual flourish, she said, "Well, that's our cue. See ya, Dad."

Jacob pulled her into another tight hug. "You be careful out there, huh?"

"You, too," she said. Sam glanced at Jack, who just nodded at her. "General."

"Take care, Carter," he told her softly.

Sam nodded. There was a longing in Jack's eyes which made her wish she could hug him, just like how her father had hugged her. But these damned military protocols….

Instead Sam turned and walked halfway up the ramp, then stopped to look back at her team. "Everybody ready?"

"This is exciting," Vala said, as she bounced up and down in place slightly. "Is everybody as excited as I am?"

"Oh…just tickled pink," Daniel said sardonically.

"Right, then," Sam said. "Let's go."

Once she stepped through the event horizon, Sam traveled through the spiraling wormhole that shot her past the flashing lights of the infinite galaxy…until she abruptly stepped out on the other side.

The planet where the Temple Of The Dove was located was a jungle planet, and stepping into its warm, moist air was almost like walking into a steam bath. Cam emerged from the gate beside her, shaking his head and grinning like a kid who had just ridden his favorite ride at the carnival. "Damn, I never get tired of doing that!"

Sam smiled as she warily scanned the area. It had just been double-checked as being safe for them by the MALP, which remained in place in front of the stargate. But she still cautiously kept watch, as did Cam, as the rest of the team came through the gate.

Once they were all present and accounted for, Sam contacted the SGC through the MALP to let them know that SG-1 was on station and would be moving towards the temple. Jack told her that they would contact them within an hour. The stargate then shut down, as they began their trek towards the half-buried temple in the dense foliage.

"You ok?" Olivia asked, sotto voce. "You looked like you wanted to hug Jack back there."

"Yeah, but duty calls," Sam replied with a shrug. "There's really-"

She was cut off when the stargate abruptly started up once again behind them. She exchanged a wary look with Olivia, and then with Cam.

"Should we take cover?" Cam asked.

"What if it's just the SGC?" Olivia pointed out. "Maybe Jack's got news to tell us."

"I'd rather look silly than be sorry," Sam said. "Everybody take cover!"

They ducked behind the nearest shelter, which was a thicket of palm trees to their right. Once the gate had opened, Sam checked her radio. But there was no message from the SGC. What had actually come through the gate had startled her.

A trio of small, dagger-shaped ships all flew out of the stargate, one behind the other, in tight formation. Once the three ships had fully emerged, they spread out in combat formation as they careered up over the canopy of trees. Sam had seen these ships before; they were working on the Ori super gate in the Tyro system. Once the ships were clear, the stargate then shut down.

"Damn it," Sam muttered in frustration, when she heard the multiple explosions ahead of them in the jungle. "They're hitting the temple!"

The stargate abruptly started up once more by itself. Cam spied on the gate with his binoculars and said, "It's an outgoing wormhole from here. Don't ask me how, but the DHD is being dialed automatically."

"The Atlantis Puddle Jumpers have similar tech," Hailey pointed out.

Cam pointed at something. "Here they come again!"

When she saw the ships, which were single-seat fighters, come flying at them once more, Sam got an idea. "Hailey, the EMP guns shouldn't affect the stargate, right?"

"No, Colonel. The gate uses crystal tech; it won't be harmed."

"Let's see if we can try to bring them down," Sam told SG-1, as she holstered her automatic and pulled out her EMP gun. "Ready EMP guns! On my mark!"

The trio of fighters dove down towards the gate, once again flying in single-file formation. Sam and the others took aim with their EMP guns, and once the fighters zoomed right by them, she shouted, "FIRE!"

The EMP gun let out a strange buzzing sound, as Sam saw the gauge on the back drop from green to red, meaning the gun was no longer charged. She had aimed it right at the fighters, but when she saw the two lead ships disappear into the stargate, Sam thought they had missed. Or worse, that the EMP guns didn't work as well as they had hoped.

"Yeah!" Cam suddenly shouted in joy. "Oh, _hell_ yeah!"

Sam immediately saw what he meant. The final fighter wobbled badly while in flight, then it flipped over and crashed into the dirt next to the stargate, leaving a long drag mark behind it. The stargate then shut down, and Sam instantly made a decision.

"Teal'c, Liv, Cam and Daniel, you guys dial home. And do it quick, before they decide to come back through again," Sam said. "Jennifer, Grace and Vala, you're with me."

Sam raced towards the downed fighter with her P90 at the ready. She recognized the design of the ship as being the same type that was working on the super gate in the photos that her father had brought back from Tyro. "Vala, get behind me," Sam ordered, as she aimed her P90 at the pilot in the cockpit.

"No argument here," Vala said, as she cringed behind Sam's shoulder. "Now I really wish you'd given me a gun!"

Hailey and Satterfield spread out and took up positions on Sam's right and left, respectively. They also had their guns trained on the pilot, who lay very still.

As Sam slowly and cautiously approached the cockpit, keeping her gun aimed at the pilot at all times, she noticed that the man appeared to be clad in a medieval-type outfit that was made of leather. The helmet he wore, which also covered the upper half of his face, looked to be cast from solid metal.

There was a latch on the side of the cockpit canopy. Sam checked with Hailey and Satterfield, and when they assured her that they had the pilot covered, Sam lowered her gun and pulled out her standard issue knife from its sheath. She used the knife to pull up the latch on the ship, and the canopy slid open.

Sam took a cautious step backward as she raised her gun once more at the pilot. Although he was clearly still breathing steadily, he appeared to be knocked out. And he also appeared to be human.

"Sam," Cam's voice came over the radio. "Got the stargate activated, and have already informed the SGC of our situation. What do you want to do? Over."

"Oh, no!" Grace cried in horror. "Oh, Colonel, look!"

Sam saw the reason for her dismay. There was a rumbling sound that reverberated throughout the jungle. It was then followed by a loud, ear-splitting noise of something crashing, as if boulders were being slammed together. Then a huge cloud of smoke and dust arose above the canopy, scattering a flock of indigenous birds. It was clear that the Temple of the Dove was no more.

"Oh dear," Vala said softly. "And I was so looking forward to visiting that place…."

"Sam," Cam came on the radio again. "Sorry to rush you, but the General is anxious for an official sitrep. Over."

"Let me speak directly to him," Sam said. "Over."

"O'Neill here," Jack's voice said over her radio. "Carter, what's going on?"

"The Ori had just sent fighters through the stargate, sir," Sam said grimly. "They took out the Temple of the Dove before we could get there. Over."

"They destroyed the temple?"

"I've yet to make a close-up visual inspection, sir," Sam said. "But judging from the level of destruction that I _can_ see and hear right now, it looks like the place is kaput. Over."

"Damn it," she heard him mutter. "Are you and your team all right, Carter?"

"We're fine, sir. We managed to shoot down one of the fighters, using the EMP guns." Sam glanced down at the unconscious Ori pilot. "I'm pleased to report that we're bringing home a guest for dinner."

**SG-1: SVU**

Lord Battlemaster Ba'al strode anxiously through the corridors of Neith's command Ha'tak vessel. He was on his way to see Her Lord Empress with some information that she had asked him for; unfortunatey, in addition to getting the information that Neith requested, Ba'al had also received some more bad news.

Several more planets within the Netian Empire had been hit by the plague of metallic insects. One of the afflicted worlds was Sartek, which hosted a major shipyard for the Ha'tak fleet. Neith's tactic of laying waste to the planet that the little monsters had overrun appeared to be keeping them in check. But the metallic insects were now moving so rapidly across the Empire that summarily destroying planetary resources that were vital to the Netian war machine would just hurt them in the long run.

'By using this slash and burn tactic, we're essentially destroying ourselves,' Ba'al thought. Her Lord Empress saw it, as well. That was why she had ordered begun a frantic marathon of research, in an attempt to discover who had previously fought the metallic insects, and what method, if any, they had used to fight them.

Neith had presently focused all of her research on the Tauri. Ba'al was surprised to learn that no less than SG-1 themselves had once fought off an invasion of the metallic insects. Leave it to the Tauri, whom Ba'al saw as being no more than mere insects themselves, to know how to handle their mechanical brethren.

When he reached the peltac, Ba'al was discouraged to see Neith sat slumped in her throne. She had been up for hours, nixing sleep, in an attempt to try and get a handle on this rapidly chaotic situation. The Ha'tak was presently in orbit over yet another world afflicted by the insects, Hanno, which was a farming planet that fed a good number of the Jaffa.

Ba'al stepped up to Neith, who still sat hunched over, with her hand over her eyes, as if deep in thought. Her lovely back was exposed, thanks to the scant swimming outfit that she still wore. If only he could just….

'To Hades with it,' he thought.

Neith flinched in surprise when Ba'al began massaging her neck and shoulders. "Forgive my boldness, my Lord Empress," Ba'al said. He paused in the massage. "But you looked as if you could use this. Shall I continue?"

"Yes, Lord Battlemaster," Neith said with a nod. "Do continue."

Neith let out a sigh of relief as Ba'al worked his hands up and down the back of her neck, then slid out and firmly kneaded her shoulders. Her smooth skin regained its color as the blood flowed back into her formerly cramped muscles. Ba'al continued his massage down her back, firmly pulling his fingers out along the muscles of her spine, until he saw To'mar standing there, waiting to say something.

Neith saw him as well, and shook off Ba'al's hands as she rose to her feet. "Yes, First Prime?"

"There is a merchant-class vessel approaching. They have security clearance," To'mar said. "A Jaffa patrol on the planet's surface commandeered it. They wish to land on board this Ha'tak."

"Then grant them permission, First Prime. Have them contained until the deck crew checks their ship for the insects, as usual. Why are you even bothering me with this minor detail?"

"My apologies, my Lord Empress, but the unit's leader, Mar'dec, claims to have a Shol'va by the name of Char'el aboard the vessel. Mar'dec says that he and his men captured Char'el and his whore while they were trying to escape the insects."

"Char'el?" Neith said under her breath. "Why is that name familiar? Is this Char'el a deserter?"

To'mar nodded. "He is, my Lord Empress. Char'el was attached to Mar'dec's own unit on Mount Tanis. Mar'dec hopes this will curry enough favor with you to restore his unit's former glory."

"Have them bring Char'el and his whore to the observation deck," Neith commanded. "I shall hear their petition there."

To'mar bowed. "Yes, my Lord Empress."

Neith wiggled her shoulders with a look of relief. She glanced at Ba'al, and for a moment he thought she would thank him for the massage. Instead, she said, "You have the latest intelligence on the Tauri?"

Ba'al just bowed humbly. "I do, my Lord Empress. My spy network tells me that the Tauri battleship Prometheus was sent to the Devil's Lair."

"The Devil's Lair?"

"A moon in the Rumai system. The Sons Of Darkness used it as a secret base. But my sources tell me that it had been overrun by the metallic insects. The Prometheus bombarded the moon's surface with nuclear weapons in an attempt to destroy the insects."

"The Sons Of Darkness," Neith said with a mixture of disgust and revelation. "I should have known. I had surmised this onslaught by these insects was too fast and too well organized for them to have accomplished it by themselves. It was a planned attack on the Empire, and now we know who is behind it."

"At least the Tauri were kind enough to rid us of the last of the Sons," Ba'al said.

But Neith shook her head. "I would not count on that, Lord Battlemaster. Their main base may have been found and destroyed, but the Sons are still active, and are no doubt seeking vengeance for the death of Belial. Well, I shall make certain that every last one of them will join their beloved Lord Belial in death."

Neith then stopped short and said, "Char'el? Wait, I recall who he is, now. To'mar!"

The First Prime turned from his console to face her. "Yes, my Lord Empress?"

"The woman who was with Char'el, would her name be Casey Novak?"

Tom'ar consulted a data pad in his hand. Then nodded. "Yes, my Lord Empress. She was the woman who was captured with Char'el."

"This is an interesting turn of events," Neith murmured, as she grew thoughtful for a moment. Ba'al would have given anything to know what thoughts ran through the steel trap of her tactically brilliant mind right now.

After just the slightest of pauses, Neith said, "Have Casey Novak brought directly to my personal quarters."

"And the Shol'va, Char'el," Ba'al prompted. "You wish him to be brought to your quarters as well?"

"No," Neith said flatly. "I only want to see Casey Novak, alone. See to it, Tom'ar."

Tom'ar bowed as she stormed off the peltac. "Yes, my Lord Empress."

Ba'al, who had been slowly and steadily trying win the affections of her Lord Empress, felt relieved that she wasn't seeing Char'el, a strapping Jaffa, alone in her quarters. But he was puzzled as to why she wanted to see the woman. Then a frightening thought occurred to him.

"Tom'ar," he said, calling the First Prime over to him. "Do you not think that Her Lord Empress wishes to see this Novak alone in her quarters because she wishes to…bestow her affections upon her?"

The First Prime just shook his head at Ba'al. "She is the Lord Empress of the Netian Empire," he said firmly, stating a fact. "She can bestow her affections on whomever she chooses."

As Tom'ar left him to carry out Neith's orders, Ba'al thought about what he said. 'She can indeed make love to whomever she wishes,' he thought, irked, 'and there is my problem….'

**SG-1: SVU**

The bridge of the Prometheus was a beehive of activity, with Air Force officers walking back and forth briskly amidst the constant chatter of radio traffic from all over the ship, as well as from planetside. Jacob searched for Colonel Newell, the commander of the Prometheus, who stood by a wall console with Colonel Everett Young, the commander of SG-7.

He walked up to Larry and said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Jacob, yeah," Newell said. "We just got our marching orders from the SGC, and will be leaving Earth orbit for the Tyro system shortly."

Although he wasn't sure why he needed to be told about such a routine thing, Jacob nodded politely. "That's good."

"There was something else," Newell added. "We also received some news about SG-1. General O'Neill wanted me to convey it to you."

Jacob's stomach fluttered uneasily. 'Please, don't tell me something's happened to them…to my Sam….'

"SG-1 had to scrub the mission to the Temple Of The Dove because it was destroyed," Newell told him. "The Ori launched an air strike and bombed the temple to smithereens."

"You mean there were Ori already there?"

"The Ori sent their fighters in through the gate," Young replied. "Sort of like how the Wraith operates in the Pegasus galaxy. Once they bombed the temple, they evac-ed back through the stargate, but not before SG-1 managed to shoot one of them down."

Jacob was both relieved and elated to hear this. "So SG-1's ok?"

"They're fine, Jacob," Young said, smiling.

"Hell, they're the first SGC unit to engage the Ori, and the first to take a prisoner," Newell said. "You ask me, they're doing more than fine!"

"Yeah, that they are," Jacob agreed. He excused himself and left the bridge when Lieutenant Scott appeared with a pressing question for the Colonels. As Jacob rode the elevator back down to his cabin, he did so with immense relief. "That's my Sam," he murmured, as his chest swelled with pride. "Giving as good as she gets, that's my girl…."

'It has begun,' Selmak said solemnly.

"What has, old friend?" Jacob asked.

'The war with the Ori,' Selmak answered. 'It has finally begun in earnest.'

Jacob, feeling uneasy once more, went the rest of the way to his cabin in troubled silence.

**SG1: SVU**

Casey let out a muffled grunt through her gag as the Jaffa dumped her roughly on the rug in the spacious quarters of the Ha'tak vessel. When they carried her off of the merchant ship, Casey was still bound hand and foot, and was helpless to do anything when the Jaffa had separated her from Char'el.

Her lover had been beaten repeatedly by that bastard Mar'dec and his men, even after Char'el was trussed up. Despite the fact that her opwn future was uncertain, all Casey cared about right now was what was happening to Char'el.

Yet all thoughts of Char'el fled her mind when Casey saw Neith walk into the room. Barefoot, the leader of the Netian Empire wore an outfit that was even more scant than Casey's bikini.

"Welcome back, Casey Novak," the woman said, as she reached for something on a table. "The last I saw of you, you and the woman who used to be Qetesh were my 'guests' in the observation room aboard this ship. You were bound then, as you are now."

Neith then held up the object that she removed from the table. It was a knife, which gleamed under the lights. She loomed over the helpless Casey with the blade. "Strange how things change, yet remain the same."

'Char'el, wherever you are, I love you dearly,' Casey thought, as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the end.

However, Casey opened her eyes once more when she realized that Neith had used the knife to cut the bonds on her wrists. She sat up, stunned, as she watched Neith as she then proceeded to cut her ankles loose, as well.

Neith then stood up and gazed down at Casey with a smile. "Did you think I had you brought to my private quarters just so I could stab you to death, Casey Novak? How silly."

"What do you want with me?" Casey asked, once she removed the gag from her mouth.

"To talk," Neith said thoughtfully. "Our intelligence reports last placed you and Char'el aboard the Shol'va vessel, the Hak'tyl. Now we find you on Hannos."

"What can I say, we've been having some bad luck…."

"Have not we all these days," Neith said wistfully. "Did you get a good look at the creatures that infested Hanno?"

"Those metal insects?" Casey said with alarm. "We didn't do that!"

"I know." Neith poured a cup of water from the table and then knelt down besides Casey, Casey was further stunned when Neith gave her the water. "This plague of insects is courtesy of the Sons Of Darkeness. Drink."

Casey did. The water tasted fantastic. Having been trussed up and gagged in the hot and humid cargo hold of a ship for over an hour had dehydrated her.

Neith stared at her expectantly. "You are not my prisoner, Casey Novak. You are my guest. And there is something that I would like for you to do. A favor, if you will."

"What would that be?" Casey warily asked.

"I wish for you to contact Stargate Command," Neith said. "They will answer, if you call them, yes?"

"Yes, they will."

"Good. What I want will require an ally of the SGC, someone whom they trust."

"What do you want?"

"I wish to form an alliance, between the Netian Empire and Stargate Command," Neith casually replied. "Do you think you can contact them for me and relay that message?"

Casey was so stunned by what she had heard, she just stared dumbly at Neith in open-mouthed shock.

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

_My thanks once again to all those who favored either me, or my stories. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Seven**

When Sam got her first look at the Temple Of The Dove, which had been reduced to nothing more than a pile of rocky ruins, she let out a dismal sigh and said, "Drat…."

The Ori pilot had been transported back through the gate to the SGC. The Marines of SG-3 now guarded their flank; they prevented any unwelcome guests from coming through the gate by keeping it open. Whenever the gate shut down after 38 minutes, Colonel Lyman ordered his Marines to immediately reopen it.

This left SG-1 free to examine what was left of the Temple Of The Dove…which wasn't much, as it turned out.

Sam held up her scanner, trying to see if there were any energy readings coming from the structure…but her reading showed absolutely nothing. The place was completely wasted.

Seeing this, Cam turned to Sam said, "I read in one of your previous reports, back when you found a floating head in this temple…."

"The Mumani Temple," Sam said with a nod.

"Yeah, right. You managed to collect these holographic files from inside the head. We could still do that here, right?"

"Yeah, we could," Daniel said. "If we could get inside the damn place."

"And that's assuming this place even _had_ a floating head," Olivia added.

"Vala, did this temple have some sort of interactive information system?" Sam asked.

The raven-haired woman just shrugged. "Don't know. Never was here until now."  
"But you knew where it was," Cam said, annoyed. "You mean to tell me you never even visited this place?"

"No, _Qetesh_ knew where it was," Vala corrected him, with an annoyed tone of her own. "And as to why she never visited the place…well, why don't we ask her, shall we? Oh, wait…that snake is _dead_, isn't she?"

Teal'c and Satterfield came up to Sam. "There is no possible way through the rubble, Colonel Carter," he said. "We searched all around the perimeter."

"The temple's basically been flattened," Satterfield reported. "The only way to get to anything would be to raise some pretty heavy pieces of rubble…."

"Which isn't possible for us," Cam flatly interjected. "Not without some major equipment, which we don't have available."

"…and then, what we'd need inside the temple would most likely be crushed to smithereens, anyway," Satterfield finished.

"In other words, it's a washout," Cam dejectedly muttered.

"If only we were just a little bit earlier," Sam said with a shake of her head.

"We'd probably would have been crushed under the rubble," Olivia told her. When Sam gave her an aggravated look, Olivia added, "What, with the way our luck's been running lately, you'd expect anything different?"

"Lyman to Carter," the Marine commander called over the radio. "Come in, over."

Sam keyed her radio. "Carter, here, Bobby. What's up? Over."

"General O'Neill wants us back at the SGC. Specifically, he wants SG-1 back home on the double. Over."

"We're coming back to the gate now, Bobby. Over and out."

Daniel just let out a weary sigh as they all began walking back to the gate. "Now what?" he asked.

They met up with the Marines, and Hailey, at the stargate. Hailey had been busy taking detailed pictures of the downed Ori fighter while the rest of SG-1 had moved on to the temple. "The fighter is a very simple design, Colonel Carter," she reported. "Powered by a chemical rocket, and not really built for comfort; frankly, I'm surprised the pilot survived the crash."

"Compared to the 302, how advanced is it?" Cam asked her, as they all proceeded to enter the glimmering event horizon.

Hailey shook her head. "Not much. The 302 is far more sophisticated, whereas the Ori fighter is very basic; it sort of reminds me of the old Soviet-era MIGs from back in the fifties and sixties. Big, clunky, but gets the job done."

"Nothing fancy," Sam said, as she nodded in understanding. "Just a dependable fighter."

Several moments later, they all strode down the ramp in the gate room. Jack stood before them at the base of the ramp. His arms were folded in front of him and he looked very grim. "Sam, and the rest of SG-1, come with me," he said. Jack then paused when he saw the Marines coming up from behind them. "Bobby, you and Lt. Emmaus should see this, as well."

'See what?' Sam wondered, as she followed Jack into the control room.

Wray was also there, and once everyone had gathered, all facing the front console, Jack pointed at the screens and said, "We just received a message from Casey Novak."

Olivia's face brightened. "Casey? Is she all right?"

"Honestly, Liv, we really don't know," Jack said bluntly. "Here's the message."

Sam and the others watched the screen as an uneasy Casey appeared. Clad in just a bikini, with her auburn hair brushed snug against her head, she sat nervously in a chair, glancing over at her right for a moment. Then, a woman's voice said, "You may proceed."

"To my friends at Stargate Command," Casey said, sounding very stiff and formal. "I have an offer to tell you about. Her Lord Empress Neith wishes to meet with the leaders of the SGC to discuss an alliance between the people of Earth and the Netian Empire. This is no trick, nor is it a ploy. I do hope you consider this offer, as there are many lives on the line."

Once she was finished, Casey glanced back over at her right, almost as if seeking praise. The image broadened, and Sam was stunned to see Neith herself was seated next to Casey. The outfit that Neith wore was even more scant than Casey's bikini.

Neith leaned forward and said, "There is a dire threat that we all face. A powerful and unknown foe has risen. Only together, by marshalling our forces, can we hope to make this galaxy safe for us all."

"Is she kidding?" Hailey blurted out. "She's been the one responsible for most of the deaths in the galaxy so far!"

Sam quickly hushed her so they could hear the rest of the message.

"You may respond by sending a message through this gate address." Neith said. A series of gate symbols appeared on the screen beneath her. "Both Casey and I do hope that you decide to unite with us against this threat."

"What threat is she talking about?" Sam asked, once the message was over.

Jack shook his head. "Don't know. There's some talk that she might mean the Ori, but we can't be sure. Liv, you know Casey better and longer than anybody here. What do you make of that?"

"Casey looked very uncomfortable," she commented. "But _she_ was telling the truth, Jack. If nothing else, Casey believes in what they're saying."  
"Did Neith capture her?" Daniel asked. "Or did the Hak'tyl ally themselves with Neith?"

"Another good question," Wray said solemnly. "As you know, we can't contact the Hak'tyl, because we don't know where they are at any given time. They can only contact us. And so far, we haven't heard a word from Io'tan."

"The fact that Casey's wearing a bikini tells me she may have been abducted," Olivia interjected.

"You mean Casey wore that bikini when she was captured by Neith." Sam gazed at Olivia thoughtfully. "So you think this may be a trap, with Casey being used by Neith as the bait?"

Olivia shrugged. "Maybe, Sam."

"Or maybe Neith captured Casey in the hopes of convincing her there was a real, legitimate need for an alliance between us and the Netian Empire," Daniel posited.

"That's just it," Olivia said to Jack. "It's like I told you before, from what I've seen, Casey firmly believes in what they're saying. But I can't really speak as to what Neith's ulterior motives are."

Sam glanced at Jack. "_Are_ we answering, sir?"

"Oh, of course, Carter! I wouldn't miss this for the world."

**SG-1: SVU**

Lieutenant Tamara Johansen, or 'TJ' to her close friends, wearily rubbed her face with her hands as she sat in the cafeteria aboard the Prometheus. She had just finished taking inventory of all of the medical equipment that she and Dr. Simms would need to examine the virus on Tyro. And after reading for what felt like hours, her eyes felt as if they were about to fall out of their sockets. TJ glanced out the portholes in the wall and briefly admired the bright, flashing lights within the hyperspace corridor the ship traveled in.

Her smile faded when Everett walked into the room.

'No, don't call him that,' she told herself. 'He's your commanding officer…refer to him by his proper name.'

"Hello, TJ," Young said, as he took a seat across from her at the table. "Everything in order?"

"Yes, sir," she replied. Feeling uneasy, TJ abruptly stood. "I should get this to Dr. Simms."

Young stared at her in puzzlement. "You need to do that in person? Can't you just email the report straight to his tablet?"

'Oh, no,' TJ thought, as she gave him a wary look. "Does the colonel wish to speak to me about something?"

"Whoa, why so formal?" Young asked with a smile. "It's _me_, Everett."

Although they were the only ones in the cafeteria, TJ still lowered her voice as she sat back down. "I was under the assumption that we had ended our relationship…Colonel."

"We did. But there's no need to…." His words faded away. He glanced down at the table in a sheepish manner. "Um, Emily knows…about us. She wants a divorce."

TJ felt her guts twist with a mixture of horror and disgust just then. "Oh, my God…."

"It's ok, TJ," he quickly said.

"It's ok? You're getting a divorce, because of _me_, and it's ok?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not you. It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. Look, it's like I've told you before, Emily and I have been having a lot of problems, even before this. But there's a bright side to this, you know. We can start over; start fresh with a clean slate."

TJ smiled as she nodded. "Yes, that's a great way of looking at it. Have you told Emily that?"

Young stared at her wistfully. "I meant us, TJ."

"Oh my God!" TJ moved to stand up again, until he pulled her back down. "Everett, you can't be serious!"

"Why not?" he asked. "We can now enjoy our relationship, enjoy being with each other, without the guilt."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" she hissed. "I came between you and Emily, I helped to end a marriage! Besides, the Air Force doesn't look too kindly on its officers fraternizing with each other, so there would still be plenty of guilt for us to deal with, anyway."

He waved his hand at that. "You seriously think we're the only ones in the service who're fooling around? I mean, it's well known that Colonel Carter enjoys a very special relationship with General O'Neill."

TJ knew all too well about Carter and O'Neill. She was with them during the Battle For The Antarctic, and clearly saw the love that they had for each other then. They had been careful, just as they were now, not to show any outwards signs of their true feelings for each other while on duty. But TJ still noted the underlying affection that they had; the same type of loving affection that could only come from two close soul mates.

Perhaps it was a longing within TJ for a similar kind of relationship, just like that of Carter and O'Neill's, that initially made her fall in love with Everett Young. Truth be told, Everett was a kind and decent man with a heart of gold. But TJ had deluded herself into thinking that she had found a love just like what Colonel Carter had…for unlike Carter, TJ had fallen for a man who was already married.

"We're not Carter and O'Neill," she said softly, with regret in her voice. "And whatever we had, Everett, it _was_ wonderful. But it's over. Once this mission is finished, I'm asking for a transfer out of SG-7."

"TJ, c'mon, there's no need for you to…." he started to say, as she rose from the table and left the room. "TJ! Come on! Don't punish yourself for this!"

She was tempted to turn back and tell him that her leaving SG-7 was for the best. For the both of them. Yet several crewmembers had entered the cafeteria, and TJ had no desire to resume her intimate conversation with strangers present. Instead she turned and saluted him.

"I shall see you later, Colonel."

She stood waiting for him to return the salute, and when Young reluctantly did so, TJ finally left the cafeteria. She walked through the door normally enough, but when she hit the corridor, TJ broke into a run. She only stopped when the tears were coming so fast and furious that she could see anymore.

'It's over, it's really over,' TJ thought, with a mixture of relief and sadness, as she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You all right?"

TJ was startled to see Lieutenant Matthew Scott standing there. He gazed at her with concern.

"Yeah, um, just checking this…thing…." TJ awkwardly said, as she pretended to examine a pipe that jutted out from the wall. "You know…making sure it's working…."

Matt gave her an incredulous sideways glance that clearly stated he didn't believe her for a second. "Right…that's not gonna explode or anything, is it, TJ?"

'My head is going to explode,' TJ thought, as she felt her face turn red, 'from embarrassment!'

"Um, no, there's no chance of that happening," she told him with a heavy sigh. "It's been taken care of."

Matt still had a concerned look on his face. "You sure?"

"Yes," TJ replied, now feeling more at ease. She was actually speaking about herself right now. "Yes, things are fine, now. I just want to concentrate on the work, now, you know?"

"When you say 'work' I assume that would be medical stuff, and not starship engineering?" Matt asked with a slight smile.

TJ couldn't help but burst into a laugh at the absurdity of this conversation. "Yes, I…um, yeah, I might as well stick to what I know, right?"

He nodded with a grin. "I'm sure Dr. Simms will be happy to hear that."

They were interrupted when an alert klaxon sounded throughout the ship. "Proximity alert," a man's voice said over the intercom. "We're now five minutes out from target zone. I say again: we are now five minutes to target zone."

And just like that, the insane, goofy moment was gone. "Well," Scott said grimly, "here we go."

As they both walked briskly to the bridge, TJ wondered if now was a good time to tell him about her decision to leave SG-7. But she then decided against saying anything about it, at least for now.

'There'll be plenty of time to tell Matt later,' TJ thought with a nod.

They went to the bridge to find Jacob standing beside Colonel Newell and Everett. 'Damn it, he's not your boyfriend anymore,' TJ reminded herself. 'So stop referring to the colonel by his first name!'

The rest of SG-7, including Dr. Simms, Sgt Ron Greer, and scientific specialists Lt. Walter Grooms and Dr. Gene Samson, were also present.

"We're coming up on the Tyro system now," Colonel Newell announced. He turned to Jacob and added, "We'll pull out of hyperspace on the outskirts of the system and drop you off there. You can make the rest of the trip in your ship."

"That's assuming we haven't been spotted by now," Jacob said anxiously.

"We'll know for sure in the next few moments," Newell replied. When a light on a console lit up, he turned to the helmsman. "Take us out, now."

"Jumping out of hyperspace, sir," the helmsman reported.

TJ watched as the hyperspace light show outside the ship's windows were replaced with the dull blackness of space.

"Our position reads as being on the outskirts of the Tyro system, sir," the helmsman announced. "Just over one parsec beyond the last planet."

"Find the super gate and post the live-feed image on the monitors," Newell ordered. "I want to see what progress they've made, if any."

"Oh, I'd say they've made a lot of progress," Colonel Young muttered grimly, once the image of the super gate came up on the main monitor.

TJ had seen the previous photos of the half completed super gate in the briefing for SG-7 back at Stargate Command. But what she saw now was enough to make her blood run cold. Where the super gate was just a half circle in the previous pictures, it was now about three-quarters finished, with the overall gate having a 'C' shape as it hung in space.

"We'd better get going," Jacob said. "SG-7, you're with me in the main hanger. Larry, remain on station back here until either we call you, or if you see all hell breaking loose. "

"I don't mind telling you, Jacob, that I'm inclined to just attack that thing right now," Newell said.

Colonel Everett nodded. "Yeah, I agree. That gate's too far along, now, Jacob. Better to just blow it away, while we can. We can always make our threat assessment after the fact."

Before Jacob could respond, an alert klaxon sounded throughout the ship.

"Proximity alert!" the helmsman called out. "We've got an unknown object approaching on the port side, sir!"

"Indentify!" Newell ordered.

"Looks like an unmanned probe," the science officer called from her station. "Yes, sir, definitely an unmmaned probe, about two meters in length, one meter wide. Unknown configuration. We're being scanned."

Jacob angrily shook his head. "Damn it, they made us!"

"Battlestations," Newell called. "Helm, plot a course in hyperspace towards the gate. Have us come out right at gun range. We're going to destroy it."

"Yes, sir, plotting course, now."

Newell turned to weapons control. "All rail guns, target the gate and begin firing the moment we're in range."

"Yes, sir," the weapons control officer replied. "Rail guns report they're ready."

"Hyperspace course plotted," the helmsman said.

Newell sat in his command chair and nodded. "Time to target?"

"At this short distance, barely thirty seconds, sir."

Newell nodded. "Punch it."

TJ was so enraptured at the scene on the bridge that she nearly jumped out of her skin when someone abruptly gripped her arm. It turned out to be Colonel Young. "Hold onto something," he told her gravelly. "This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

TJ gripped the ceiling railing above her head just as the ship dove into to hyperspace. And no sooner was it traveling through the familiar hyperspace light corridor than the Prometheus had jumped out. It had an unnerving affect on TJ, and she was grateful for the Colonel's…for _Everett's_ warning, for if she had not been holding onto something, TJ would have been lying facedown on the deck right now.

"Rail guns report target acquisition," the weapons officer announced.

"Fire at will!" Newell commanded.

She gazed wide-eyed out the main windows at the super gate, which loomed over them like a great, ungodly monster in space. Then TJ's eyes grew even wider when she saw something amazing.

The super gate began to glow.

TJ pointed at the gate. "Wait, what's…."

Almost as if on cue, the blackened heavens outside the windows exploded into a frenzy of light as the unfinished super gate began to open fire on them. The ship began to buck and rock as it was being hit by a multitude of energy bolts that fired relentlessly from all around the uncompleted circle that hung before them.

"They're fully armed!" Everett shouted at Newell.

"So I've noticed!" Newell shouted back. "Sally, have forward rail guns target the main-"

"Forward rail guns are out, sir," she reported, before he could even finish his order.

TJ was blasted back against the bulkhead by another furious broadside of gunfire from the gate. It must have knocked the wind out of her, because she momentarily had lost her bearings. Was she still standing? No, she was laying down. Matt was hovering over her, looking concerned. Then Everett appeared, and he really looked worried.

"Let's get her out of here!" he ordered the others.

TJ oddly felt numb, as if she were floating through the air, until she realized that Everett had picked her up and carried her off of the bridge. They were in the corridor just behind the bridge, and there was flashing lights, and people running frantically around, shouting….

"THE BRIDGE!" a man shouted, "THEY GOT THE BRIDGE!"

Then everything shook again, and TJ found herself on the floor once more, with Everett covering her body with his. She grabbed him, as the ship rattled violently around them, and the lights flickered on and off above her. As she held tightly to Everett, TJ faintly wished that she could take back the mean things she had said to him earlier.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear. "No matter what happens, know that I love you with all of my heart."

He gazed at her, face to face, and said, "I love you too."

And for that moment, when they exchanged their expressions of love for each other, all the noise and violence that surrounded them had faded. Then Matt appeared by Everett's side, and hollered something, and when he did, the ugly reality of their situation came rushing back to TJ in sight, sound and feeling.

She sat up just then, as the bulkhead down the ways from them was violently ripped out in a fierce explosion.

"This way, Colonel!" Matt shouted, as he gestured at something.

"Can you walk?" Everett asked TJ.

TJ took one look at the buckling hallway before them, and realized that the ship was in its dying throes. "Watch me run," she told him.

She quickly got to her feet and let Everett lead her to where Matt was frantically pointing: a life pod entrance. Everett let her climb in first, where she saw a wounded Jacob being tended to by a female crewmember. She sat crosslegged on the floor of the pod, cradling Jacob's head in her arms. TJ immediately sat down next to her and examined the bloody gash on Jacob's head as Everett and Matt climbed into the pod and sealed the door.

Everett punched the big red button, which flashed on and off, and there was a sudden violent jerk as their life pod ejected itself from the hull of the shuddering Prometheus.

TJ and the others looked out the single window as the rapidly disintergrating Prometheus, which twisted and trembled under the withering amount of gunfire from the Ori super gate, fell away from them as their life pod streaked through space.

TJ let out a gasp of horror and sadness when the Prometheus, taking all that it could, finally ripped apart in a massive explosion.

They were now left in their tiny life pod, with its mini-engine that was far too small to even get them out of the Tyro system, much less all the way home.

Jacob's injury didn't appear to be that bad. In fact, he was coming around as TJ applied pressure to the wound on his head. "TJ, what happened?"

"The Prometheus is gone," she told him. "We're in a life pod."

Jacob tried to get a look at his surroundings, but lay his head back on the lap of the female crewmember, whose name tag read Sgt. First Class Helen Chiders. "Who's we?"

"Myself, Colonel Young, Lt. Scott, and Sgt. Childers," she replied.

"Damn," Jacob muttered. "Should have let me go in by myself."

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Jacob," Everett said. "The result would probably have been the same."

"Yeah, but earth wouldn't have lost one of her battleships," Jacob said. He slowly sat up, and when TJ tried to help him, he waved her off. "Thanks, TJ, but Selmak is already working his magic inside of me. Are we the only life pod?"

"No, there were many others launching when we did," Scott replied.

TJ thought about Ron and the others from their team, and hoped that they managed to get to a life pod before it was too late.

They were all startled by the sound of something large and metallic clamping down on the top of their life pod. Sgt. Chiders glanced out the window and exclaimed, "We're moving!"

"In the opposite direction of our engine's thrust," Scott pointed out.

'They got us,' TJ thought with a renewed sense of dread. 'The Ori got us!' She turned to the group and nervously asked, "So what now?"

"Hope that the Ori are a kind and forgiving people," Everett told her.

"You seriously think they are?" Jacob asked skeptically. "Remember, these people thought nothing of slaughtering an entire planet just to keep this operation secret."

Everett just shrugged. "Looks like we're about to find out, Jacob."

**SG1: SVU**

Olivia watched through the glass as the Ori pilot sat on the bed and spoke something under his breath with his eyes closed. He wore a hospital gown, and had his wrists and ankles strapped down to the bed. Guards warily watched him from the doorway of the med lab while Janet and Dr. Lam busied themselves performing the various tasks they needed for a full evaluation on him.

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all stood in the observation room with Olivia, quietly watching as Janet had tried speaking to the Ori pilot, who ignored her as he kept his eyes shut and continued muttering under his breath.

Olivia didn't think this man looked so intimidating, yet she reminded herself that he was part of a larger war machine that was a very serious threat. No less an expert than Merlin himself had persistently warned them about the coming of the Ori, and, if nothing else, the very presence of this confused young man was proof that they were finally here.

'Another enemy, another war,' Olivia thought solemnly, 'just what we frigging need right now...'

Jack entered the observation room and asked, "He say anything worth listening to, yet?"

"No, sir. It's the same thing." Sam clicked on the audio from the lab, and they heard the man repeat the same four words over and over again, as if in a chant. The words were in a language that they presently could not decipher.

"Any luck in translating what he's saying?" Jack asked.

Daniel shook his head. "It almost sounds like Latin, but that's not it. It's definitely a chant of some kind. Listen to the rhythm: he keeps repeating it like a mantra, over and over. The same four words."

"All right, I've heard enough," Jack said, with a slashing gesture at his throat. "Kill the sound, Carter." When she did, he added: "We heard back from Neith at the rendezvous point. Casey wasn't there, but a fellow named Tomer, who's Neith's First Prime, relayed the message."

"Is the meeting still a go?" Olivia asked.

"If it is, it'll be at another meeting point, one chosen by me," Jack replied. "I made the point to Tomer that I'm not meeting Neith on a planet of her choosing, underneath the guns of her ships in orbit. We're still waiting for word from Her Lord Empress as to whether she agrees to meet us where I suggested, or not."

"A wise move, O'Neill," Teal'c said with an approving nod.

Cam entered with Jennifer and Grace. "Just finished looking over the goodies that arrived with the Ori welcoming committee," Cam said. "And found some interesting stuff."

"Such as?" Jack asked.

"Remember that baton we found on the pilot's person, Colonel?" Jennifer asked Sam.

"The one with the twin spikes on the end?" Sam asked.

Jennifer nodded. "Turns out it's not a simple baton, but more along the lines of a smaller version of the Jaffa staff weapon."

"Packs a hell of a punch, too," Cam said, with a smile. "I tried it out in the firing range…wound up nuking the target into flaming ashes."

"But here's where it gets weird," Grace joined in. "The clothing, armor and helmet that the Ori pilot wore, they're all hand-made. The helmet and chest armor looked to have been pounded into shape on an anvil. You can even see the hammer marks in the metal. His weaponry and ship are space age, but his clothing is straight out of the middle ages. It doesn't add up."

"Actually, it does," Daniel said, as he stared thoughtfully at the chanting pilot. "I mean, look at him, this is pure fear…he's scared to death of us! This is the reaction of somebody from a civilization that's much lower than us on the technological totem pole. I get the vibe from him that he's just a simple dude, you know, one who was happily working on a farm, or hunting in the woods…until he was drafted into being a pilot. I could be wrong, but…."

"No, I get that. I'd just love to know where is his farm located," Jack said. He hit the switch on the intercom. "Frasier, a word with you up here regarding your patient?"

Janet nodded in agreement as she ran towards the door. In her absence, Dr. Lam gave the pilot a shot with a needle.

"She's giving him a sedative," Janet explained, when she appeared in the observation room. "I figure he could use the rest…as can all of _us_, from listening to him ranting on and on!"

"How is he, Doctor?" Jack asked. "Better yet, _who_ is he?"

"He's completely human," Janet replied. "Down to his DNA. He's got the same organs, in the same place, as the rest of us."

"The Ori are humans?" Jack asked, sounding like he didn't believe it.

"Their foot soldiers are," Cam said. "Maybe the guys in charge are giant, creepy squids."

"If that's the case, then you can be the one to meet with them," Sam spoke up with a grin. "Open negotiations between our races?"

Cam grinned at that, but before he could reply, the base alarm klaxon sounded, with Harriman requesting O'Neill's presence in the control room. They all went to see what it was. It turned out to be the response from Neith, relayed through her First Prime, whose image was transmitted to them via the MALP they had sent through.

"Her Lord Empress has agreed to meet with you at the location you requested within six hours," the Jaffa said.

"Casey Novak will be present?" Jack asked.

"Yes," the First Prime replied. "She shall be there, as well."

Jack just nodded easily at him. "Thanks, so much, Tomer."

Camille Wray, who stood next to Jack, brought her hand up to her face and whispered, "Tom'ar."

"Right, whatever…my thanks to him, as well!" Jack cheerfully said. "Was there anything else, Toner?"

Neith's First Prime just stared at Jack with an odd look. "Er…no…."

"Great, see you at the weenie roast then, Toner! O'Neill out."

The extremely confused First Prime of Neith had glanced off camera at someone, and had started to mouth the words, "Weenie roast?" just as the image was cut off.

Camille stared at O'Neill and said, "Weenie roast?"

"Sure, you know, the big bash, the shing-dig," he said.

"Should you be so flippant about a meeting with the Lord Empress of the Netian Empire?" Camille asked. "If this works out all right, it might lead to peace."

"Peace, from the woman who's known as the goddess of the hunt and of warfare?" Jack shot back. "I doubt that Camille."

'They're now on a first name basis?' Olivia realized with a shock. She discreetly glanced over at Sam and noticed that she saw it, as well.

"What do you think her motives are, sir," Cam asked Jack.

"I don't know, but I do know that, whatever it is, Neith needs our help very badly," Jack replied. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to assign SG-3 to scout out the meeting place for us."

"With the Temple of the Dove being a bust, I need to do some research, look for some new leads for us to pursue," Daniel said to Sam, "and I'm taking Liv and Grace with me. So, if you don't need us…."

Sam began to nod, but before she could say a word, Jack cut her off. "Liv's staying here."

Olivia stared at him with surprise. "I am?"

"You are," Jack confirmed. "Casey will be at the meeting with Neith. And as her closest friend, I'll need you there. You can warn me if anything is off with Casey."

"Sure thing," Olivia agreed.

"There's another problem that's just come up," Jack said with a weary sigh. "The Prometheus is overdue on her communications check."

"It's been now over twenty five minutes, sir," Harriman said, when Jack checked in on him. "Still no word from them."

The uneasy silence that bit of news created was shattered by Wray, who asked, "Couldn't they just be operating under radio silence to avoid being spotted by the Ori?"

But Jack shook his head. "They can easily do that while still keeping in touch with us. No, something's wrong."

When he gazed uneasily at an anxious-looking Sam, she quickly put her best game face forward and said, "I guess SG-1 finally has a mission, huh, sir?"

"Checking up on the Prometheus," he said softly. "Yes, Carter; it's yours if you want it."

"We want it," Sam said firmly.

Jack nodded. "Take a ship, something with a cloak, and head for the Tyro system. But keep this in mind: you are not to engage the enemy, no matter what has happened, understand? Just go and review the situation. If you should find wreckage, do not investigate it, just come right back here and report. That's all."

"You don't seriously think that…." Wray started to say, then she silenced herself. "Never mind me. Godspeed to you and your team, Colonel Carter. I hope you only find good news."

"Well, um, guess the research can wait," Daniel said to Grace.

"No, it can't," Sam told him. "As you've just said yourself, Daniel, with the Temple of the Dove gone, we've now got nothing. You and Grace stay here, and see what you can find out for us, ok?"

"All right, Sam," Daniel said. "Will do."

"Well," Sam said to Cam with a heavy sigh. To Olivia, it sounded like she was fighting back an overwhelming sadness. "Guess we better get going."

"Yeah," Cam solemnly replied. "Ready when you are, boss."

"Teal'c, Hailey, let's go," Sam said.

Olivia watched them as they left the control room, wanting desparately to say something that would relieve Sam's pain. Yet she was afraid to say anything, because her own gut feeling told her that, whatever had happened at the Tyro system, it wasn't good.

'Damn it,' Olivia thought miserably, 'will things ever go our way for a frigging change?'

**SG-1: SVU**

Kronos was pleased.

The de facto ruler of what was left of the Sons Of Darkness viewed the galactic map of the overall Netian Empire on the console in the command center of their new hidden base, and was heartened to see that a large percentage of it had been overwhelmed by the metallic insects. They had merely released a handful of the creatures here and there, on several backwater worlds of the Empire, and soon the entire realm was swarmed with them.

And, what made matters even better was the news that the abomination known as Neith had ceased fighting the metallic insects and had retreated! Neith had ran scurrying away!

With the Netian Empire so obviously ready to fall, Kronos realized that it was time for them to set their sights elsewhere. It was time to target another hated enemy with a plague of the metallic insects.

Turning to his lieutenant, Kronos said, "It's high time that the Tauri pay for their crime of killing Lord Belial. Send a team to unleash the Replicators on earth."

**To Be Continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

_I would like to thank Phantom Dennis for his review. I'd also like to thank those of you who've favored either me, or my stories recently._

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Eight**

"Coming up on the Tyro system now," Cam said, as he consulted with the readings on the console in front of him.

Sam prepared to drop the ship out of hyperspace. "Getting ready to jump."

"Now," Cam said with a nod.

Sam punched the buttons on the console in front of her that brought their Teltac ship out of hyperspace. She turned to Hailey, who sat at a console behind her, and asked, "Are we cloaked?"

"Completely, Colonel," the young woman assured her. "The cloak is fully operational. We're about as visible as a ghost in a blizzard."

Sam chuckled slightly at that image. 'Hailey's been hanging around Cam for too long,' she thought, with a slight smile. 'She's also starting to use these goofy metaphors.'

"We're on the very edge of the system, about one parsec out from the last planet," Cam told her.

"Not getting anything on the comms," Hailey reported.

"Nothing's being broadcasted," Cam confirmed. "Complete silence all across the board."

"Teal'c," Sam said, "run a scan of the system. Look for any ships."

"Other than the super gate in orbit of the third planet, I do not see any…." He then paused. "We have a contact, Colonel Carter."

"Good eyes, Teal'c," Sam complimented him. She saw the object drifting towards them on her screen, over a thousand miles out. It was small, about two meters in length. "I see it, too. What is it, a probe?"

"That's exactly what it is, Colonel," Hailey said from behind her. "Unmanned probe, by the looks of it. She's hammering away in all directions with a powerful scanning field. Pretty hard to avoid seeing her."

"They're deliberately trying to draw attention to the probe," Cam said.

Sam nodded. "It's a diversion for something else, a predator that's lurking close by. Probably a squad of those Ori fighters."

"The fact that we have not picked up the Prometheus could be a good sign," Teal'c said. "They may have left the system before being seen."

"But why not call in?" Sam asked. "It's not like Colonel Newell to just up and disappear like this."

"Unless they're badly damaged," Hailey suggested. "Maybe they suffered damage to the comm system, among other things."

"We can still do a more comprehensive scan with this ship," Cam said.

"The solar system is still a pretty big place, sir," Hailey told him. "A deep scan like that will take days."

"Not if we start with the area surrounding Ori super gate," Sam said, as she made the adjustments to the long-range sensors. "Teal'c, you still keeping an eye on that probe?"

"Indeed, Colonel Carter. It is passing us now, without incident."

"The cloaking device on these Teltac ships is incredible!" Hailey commented.

"Let's not get overconfident," Sam warned. "Teal'c, what's that probe doing now?"

"The probe has now moved well past us."

"Sam, take a look at this," Cam said, the tone of his voice flat. "Tell me what you see."

Sam called up the close-up image that Cam had of the Ori super gate onto her own screen. "They've made remarkable progress," she said, noting the gate was now shaped like a large 'C' that hung in space. "The darn thing's pretty close to being finished."

"Look at the debris cloud that's hanging right in front of the gate," Cam told her. "Examine it very closely."

When Sam did, she was startled to see that she actually recognized fragments of the wreckage. "It's the Prometheus," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Oh, my God…."

In the solemn silence that followed, both Teal'c and Hailey got up from their seats and came over to stand behind her and Cam at the main console.

Teal'c placed one of his massive hands on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. And to an appreciative Sam, his firm grip felt so good, so reassuring. It was just what she needed right now. Despite the fact that she was worried sick over the fate of her father, Sam was still also keenly aware of Cam's own grief. Before being assigned to SG-1, he had served aboard the Prometheus, and had known many of the crew personally.

"Bear in mind that we still do not know for sure what the ultimate fate of those aboard the Prometheus is," the Jaffa told both her and Cam. "They could have managed to have evacuated the ship before it was destroyed."

"In which case, they're now prisoners of the Ori," Cam said, his tone hard and cold. "Because I'm not picking up any life pods. Or else, they never managed to…." Cam left that dark thought unspoken.

"Thank you, Teal'c," Sam said, as he released his comforting grip on her shoulder. Despite the fact that every instinct within her wanted to make an attack run on the bastards who were building that gate, Sam started making course adjustments that would take them out of the system. "We need to get back to the SGC and tell them about what happened here."

"You sure you don't want to get closer?" Cam asked. "At least scope out how they managed to take down one of our battleships?"

Sam was tempted to take him up on that offer…hell, she was looking for any excuse they could use to charge the Ori, and find her father and the others, if they were still alive. But Jack's orders were very specific, and firm. 'Oh, Jack…you knew what we might run into,' she thought. 'And you didn't want us to go charging off on a hot-headed rescue mission, didn't you?'

"We need to get back and report what we've seen," Sam said, her tone indicating no further discussion on the topic. "If there's anybody still alive, Cam, then that's really the best way that we can help them right now."

Hailey ran back to her console and pressed some buttons. "Just taking some close up photos of the super gate, along with the debris, Colonel."

"Let us know when you've got it," Cam told her.

Hailey glanced up at him with a nod. "Got it."

It was with a heavy heart that Sam left the Tyro system. She wasn't sure if not knowing the fate of her father was worse than knowing for sure that he was gone.

"We'll be back," Sam said, more for herself then for the others.

"Oh, yeah," Cam replied. "We will be back…and then we'll make these Ori sons of bitches sorry that they ever step foot in our back yard."

**SG-1: SVU**

Olivia stood nervously inside the massive tent, which had just been erected about an hour ago for this meeting. She was on the planet, PGJ-889, that Jack had selected for the meeting with Neith. As per Jack's orders, Olivia was fully clad in combat gear, with her helmet tucked on the front of her web belt. While the outfit itself felt fine, Olivia felt uneasy wearing it to what was supposed to be a peaceful meeting. But Jack had explained that, while they were willing to talk with Neith, he wanted to send a visual signal that they were always prepared for war.

Jack stood next to her, also fully clad in combat gear, rubbing a finger along the edge of a folding table and inspecting it for dust. The folding table was covered with a table setting that consisted of water bottles and glasses that were arranged as nicely and as delicately as Marines could perform such a task.

Olivia and Jack were with the Marines of SG-3, and Lt. Colonel Bobby Lyman had spared no expense on this trip. He ordered up all of the reserve Marines, which swelled the ranks of SG-3 to twenty. Then, for good measure, Bobby called in to the USMC to request an additional eighty Marines, which brought their overall number to just over one hundred.

But the scary thing was, Olivia couldn't see where the extra Marines were. When she and Jack had first arrived here, Bobby and Lt. Gail Emmaus had already secured the area and had gotten the camp set up. At most, Olivia saw ten Marines around her at any given time, and she wondered where the others were.

"Looks like the high and mighty Neith likes to keep people waiting," Jack said, as he glanced at his watch.

Bobby appeared in the tent's doorway. "The gate's been activated, sir."

"Looks like she's being fashionably late," Olivia said, as they left the tent and walked out to the stargate.

Both the stargate, and the camp itself, were nestled within a gorge. Olivia did a double take when she saw a bush on the bluff above them abruptly move sideways for a second before it stopped and became rooted to the ground once more. Yet before Olivia could freak out about the weird, moving plant life on this planet, Bobby, who also saw that movement, keyed his radio and said, "Everybody stay in position. Over and out."

Olivia nodded with relief as she turned her gaze back to the stargate, which had opened with its usual flourish. So the extra Marines had taken cover all around them on the high ground. That was smart. Should Neith decide to pull a nasty surprise on them, she would get a nasty surprise of her own, courtesy of the USMC.

Olivia tensed when she saw several Jaffa warriors step through the stargate. They took up protective positions all along the perimeter of the stargate platform. Olivia's hand instinctively dangled over the Glock handgun she had tucked in the holster on her belt.

"Easy, Liv, easy," Jack calmed her in a low voice. He kept his eyes on the gate. "An honor guard is to be expected."

To'mar, Neith's First Prime strode forth, along with Ba'al. After both men made a visual inspection of the area, they nodded at each other. Then Ba'al spoke into a device on his wrist.

Neith finally made her entrance, and what a grand entrance it was. Clad in a golden robe embroidered with red and black patterns, Neith regally stood in the center of the stargate platform. Then Casey emerged from the event horizon of the stargate.

Clad in a simple white dress with gold trimming, Casey also wore sandals and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail behind her head. Olivia thought she looked beautiful, if sad. She didn't like the way Casey kept her head down, as if she had been beaten.

"Something's wrong with Casey," Olivia whispered to Jack.

"Yeah, I've noticed. See if you can't have a word with her alone, Liv," he told her. "If you can't, let me know."

They walked over to the stargate platform just then, along with Bobby and Gail.

"Hey, Neith!" Jack said, with a big wave of his hand. "How goes it?"

Ba'al's eyes flared as he glared at Jack, enraged. "How dare you! You insufferable…"

He made a move to grab something on his person, and that made the small group of Marines who surrounded the stargate platform raise their weapons at him in response.

Not to be outdone, Neith's Jaffa let out a collective growl from under their helmets as they raised their staff weapons at the Marines.

"Well, this went south pretty quick," Olivia muttered with dread, as Bobby and Gail both stepped in front of her and Jack with their .45s drawn.

"Cease this stupidity now!" Neith commanded her Jaffa, who reluctantly lowered their staff weapons.

Jack nodded at Bobby, who then passed the order to his Marines, via radio, to stand down.

"My apologies for Battlemaster Ba'al's harsh words, General O'Neill," Neith said, as she took a step forward.

"The Marines may also be a little quick on the trigger," Jack said, by way of apology. "But, you might expect that, considering our world had just suffered a massive invasion not too long ago."

Neith smiled. "One which you repelled successfully. As a result, the loss of life on our side was equal, if not more than, your own."

"The loss of life on both sides could have been avoided altogether had you not chose to invade in the first place," Jack shot back.

"Forces were at play within the Empire which could not be quelled," Neith explained. "Those very same forces were what led the invasion of your world, and those very same forces threaten the both of us right now."

'Interesting,' Olivia thought. 'She's basically admitting that she had no control over the Sons Of Darkness.'

"Lord Belial is dead," O'Neill firmly told her.

"So he is, but his Sons Of Darkness are still active, General. They blame me for the death of their leader, and have sought vengeance by use of a race of extremely aggressive metallic insects. These metallic insects have been set loose on the Netian Empire."

"Oh, boy," Jack said softly. "Replicators…."

"Is that what you refer to them as?" Ba'al asked, his interest heightened.

Jack held his hands apart about a foot wide. "Metallic bugs, about yay big? Unstoppable when they're in large numbers? Yeah, we know them as Replicators. If your mighty empire is being chewed apart by these little bastards, I feel for you. I really do. But how is this our problem?"

"The Sons Of Darkness blame you directly for killing Lord Belial," Ba'al said. "It won't be long before they set these Replicators loose upon your world. I know I would."

"See, that's what I love about you, Ball, you're so tender and loving," Jack said sarcastically.

"The name is Ba'al," he said through clenched teeth.

Jack just waved a hand at him. "Right. Whatever."

Throughout the exchange, Olivia had been keeping an eye on Casey, who stood miserably with Neith's party. Casey didn't appear to notice that Olivia was there, for she kept her eyes on the ground at all times.

Olivia decided to take a more direct route. "Hey, Casey."

Once Casey had finally glanced up and saw Olivia for the first time, her face contained a mixture of relief and despair.

"LIV!" Casey shouted, as she left Neith's side and flew right into Olivia's arms. Casey immediately burst into tears.

"Hey, hey…ok, sweetie," Olivia soothed, as she hugged her sobbing friend. "It's ok…."

"What the hell is this?" Jack demanded of Neith. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing," Neith coolly replied. "Casey Novak is not a prisoner of ours. We rescued her. She was found on one of the planets that had been overrun by the Replicators."

"Don't let me go back with them," Casey pleaded. "Please, Liv!"

"You're not going anywhere," Olivia assured her. "You're safe with me."

"She's coming back home with us," Jack said to Neith.

Neith shrugged easily. "As I have stated, Casey Novak is not our prisoner. In point of fact, she has been a great help to us in setting up this meeting. The Netian Empire owes her a debt of gratitude."

"Jack," Olivia said, as she still clutched a sobbing Casey, "I want to get her checked out."

"Go right ahead," Jack said. "Lt. Emmaus, escort them to Frasier."

Gail went with Olivia as she took Casey to see Janet, who was set up in a separate tent with several medics assisting her. Janet had Casey sit on a stretcher while she examined her. Olivia stood next to her friend the entire time, mainly because Casey would not let go of her hand.

Janet took Olivia aside and told her that, while Casey appeared to be suffering from exhustion, nothing was really wrong with her. "There are no signs of physical torture," she said. "She should really get some rest, now. But she's too wired. I'm tempted to give her a sedative, but I think we should hold off until we're safely back at the SGC."

"All right, thanks." Olivia got some tea from the snack table in the corner and brought it over to Casey, who sat on the stretcher speaking with Gail.

"Here she is," Gail said, referring to Olivia. "She was wondering what kept you, Liv."

"I've brought some tea for you," Olivia said, as she handed Casey a cup. "It's not exactly how you like it, but I figure it's better than nothing right now."

Casey took a sip, then nodded. "Thanks. They still have Char'el, Liv. I might not have been Neith's prisoner, but she's holding him on charges of being a Shol'va, a traitor."

"So you might as well have been her prisoner after all," Olivia said with disgust.

"The general should hear about this," Gail said.

"Jack's going to hear about a lot of things," Olivia replied. She gazed at Casey with concern. "You up to telling me how you came to be a 'guest' of Her Lord Empress Bitch?"

"Yes," Casey said. Then she told her tale.

And the more Olivia heard about what happened to Casey, the more angry she had become.

**SG-1: SVU**

Mitchell was pleased to see the familiar sight of earth come into view once they dropped out of hyperspace. Sam made an audio call to the SGC to let them know that they were back and were now on final approach for a landing.

As Sam spoke, Mitchell could only think of the glum task of contacting the relatives of his lost friends on the Prometheus and informing them that their loved ones were missing in action. This wasn't necessarily his job; he wasn't required to perform it. Yet Mitchell felt it was the least that he could do for his slain crewmates.

Mitchell's dark musings were shattered when they received a response from the SGC. But instead of Walter, whom they normally expected to hear, the response from the SGC came from an anxious sounding Camille Wray. "Teltac One, this is Wray. We've received reports of an unknown vessel skulking around in orbit. The Antartic weapons platform first picked it up, then our spy satellites, along with the Icarus. It was last spotted near the moon. The Icarus is having engine trouble and is unable to pursue. Over."

Sam glanced at Mitchell. "Care to check it out?"

"Love to," Mitchell replied. It felt good to be able to do something, after being so helpless in the Tyro system. "The moon's just a hop, jump and a skip away for us."

"SGC, we'll be happy to check it out for you," Sam replied to Wray. Then she visibly braced herself for what she had to say next. "I have extremely bad news for you regarding the Tyro system. The Prometheus has been destroyed by Ori forces. Over."

There was a momentary silence on the line. "Very well," Wray finally said, although the tone of her voice made it clear that the news she had just heard clearly disturbed her. "Um...we await your word regarding the intruder ship. Over."

"Rodger, SGC," Sam replied, "we're checking it out, now. Over and out."

Mitchell turned to Hailey in the back and said, "Wanna crank up the cloaking device again, Sparky?"

Hailey grinned at him as she hit a switch. "The cloak is back on, full force."

"You think this might be an Ori advance scout?" Sam asked, as she piloted the now-invisible Teltac over towards the moon.

"We'll find out soon enough," Mitchell said. He was almost hoping it would be the Ori; he was still looking for a fight with them after seeing what they did to the Prometheus.

"Scanning the moon," Teal'c said. "There is nothing to report from long range scans."

"Maybe they bugged out?" Mitchell asked.

"We still haven't checked the dark side yet," Sam said. "They could be close to the surface"

Once she brought the ship around to the side of the moon that was furthest from the earth, all of their consoles pinged excitedly.

"We've got something!" Hailey called.

"I see them!" Mitchell said, pointing out the windows. "There, orbiting above the northern sector of the moon. See them?"

Sam nodded. It was hard to miss the Alkesh-class spaceship; it only got larger as they came up upon it. "Looks like it's not the Ori," Sam said. "It's an Alkesh."

"That still leaves any number of bad guys," Hailey said. "A lot of people use the Alkesh…like us, for instance."

"Isn't it strange how General O'Neill's off on delicate talks with Neith, and we find this ship here?" Mitchell asked Sam.

"It could well be refugees seeking asylum," Sam said, as she halted their Teltac while it was right above the Alkesh. She armed the ship's missile batteries. "But why take chances? Teal'c? Aim for their engines."

"Target acquired, Colonel Carter," he replied from his console.

"Here we go," Sam said, as she hit a switch on the main console. "Unidentified ship, this is Colonel Samantha Carter of Stargate Command. Your unannounced presence this close to earth is a violation of our…."

"AND HERE WE GO!" Mitchell said, as he watched as the Alkesh, which was twice their size and heavily armed, suddenly open fire in all directions.

"Teal'c," Sam called, "fire when ready!"

The Alkesh began to take off, right when Teal'c fired the missiles. They shot out from the protective cloak of the Teltac, instantly giving the ship's position away. But the missiles quickly found their mark, striking the Alkesh's engines just as they were firing up to jump into hyperspace.

The explosion sent the Alkesh hurtling towards the surface of the moon, where it crashed in a cloud of moondust.

"Oh, jeez," Hailey said sheepishly, when she saw this. "Hope they didn't crash where Armstrong took his first steps."

"They're nowhere near the Sea of Tranquility," Mitchell assured her. He turned to Sam and asked, "We got spacesuits in this puppy? We're gonna need them if we're going in to slap the cuffs on these guys."

"_We _won't be picking them up," Sam replied, smiling, as she pointed up at something.

Mitchell glanced out the main windows, and for a moment he thought he was looking at the Prometheus…until he realized that it was her sister ship, the Icarus. The massive vessel now hovered directly over them.

"Icarus to Teltac One," a female voice called over the comm.

Sam switched on the monitors, which showed the grinning face of Colonel Anastasia Monroe, the commander of the Icarus. "Teltac One, here," Sam said. "Go ahead, Colonel."

"Had a hell of a time jump-starting the Icky," Monroe said. "But we all got out, gave her a good push, and here we are. We'll be glad to mop up this bunch for you, Colonel Carter."

"They're all yours, Colonel Monroe. We still don't know who, or what, we're dealing with, since they chose to respond to our hail with gunfire."

"Understood, we'll be extra careful. In the meantime, why don't you come aboard, Colonel Carter?"

Sam accepted the invitation, and Mitchell soon found himself reliving memories of ghosts from the past as he walked the corridors of the Icarus, which was exactly the same as the Prometheus in every way. Although the crew were different, he kept seeing familiar faces, faces who were now most likely dead.

Sam, who walked alongside of him on their way to the bridge, nudged him in the arm and asked, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just that…being here, I can't help but think about the Prometheus and her crew, you know?"

"I know, Cam," she replied, giving him a sympathetic pat on the arm. "But, as Teal'c mentioned before, we're not entirely sure that they're all gone. And until we know for sure, we should never give up hope."

Mitchell nodded. "Best damn advice I ever got, Sam, next to what my grandma once told me."

"What was that?"

"Never go for long walks during tornado season, or else you might find yourself flying home."

"Words to live by," Hailey said in agreement.

Mitchell nodded at her. "Damn right, Sparky."

"You giving her a new nickname?" a smiling Sam asked him.

"I don't mind," Hailey spoke up. "It's better than mini-Carter."

"Mini-Carter?" Mitchell said, grinning. "You were actually called that?"

"By General O'Neill," Teal'c confirmed. "Back when he was Colonel O'Neill."

When they strode onto the bridge, they saluted the full-bird Colonel Monroe, who now appeared very glum. "Just received word from the SGC," Monroe said, her voice unsteady. "The Prometheus is gone?"

"Yes, sir," Sam said with regret. "We just saw the debris field ourselves."

"Damn," Monroe said with a shake of her head. "I was joking with Larry Newell just a few hours ago!"

"We don't know for sure what happened to the crew," Sam said, offering a glimmer of hope. "For all we know, they might have been able to evacuate the ship before it exploded."

"Which would make them prisoners of the Ori," Monroe replied. "After hearing about what happened to those poor souls on Tyro, I wonder if being killed outright when the ship blew up wouldn't be more merciful."

Mitchell gazed out the main window, at the trio of earth-constructed troop ships that the Icarus had just sent. They had landed on the moon, next to the crashed Alkesh. The troop ships were newly assigned to the Icarus, and were big, boxy vehicles that were known as Rhinos their crews. A part of Mitchell could not help but be amazed at this sight, at humans casually walking around below them on the lunar surface.

'If only we can just stop killing each other long enough to enjoy all the wonders of the universe,' he thought.

Mitchell smiled as he listened to Sam chatting with Monroe behind him. Colonel Monroe had hit it off with Sam to the point where she insisted that Sam call her Stacy. Their discussion was interrupted by a video call from the landing party.

"The ship's crew are all members of the Sons Of Darkness," the Warrant Officer in charge of the mop-up reported over the comm. "We've got some survivors, plus a very interesting item in the cargo section. We're taking a picture of it now, Colonel Monroe."

The image of a Replicator was brought up on the monitors. The lifeless Replicator appeared to be tightly sealed within a force field of some kind.

Sam took one look at this, then stared in amazment at Mitchell, Teal'c and Hailey. "What the heck did we just come across here?"

**SG-1: SVU**

O'Neill let Neith prattle on about the benefits of an alliance between the Netian Empire and Earth, even though he knew full well that she never would have proposed this arrangement solely out of the kindness of her heart. O'Neill realized that two factors prompted this move on her part: the existence of the Antarctic weapons platform, which currently protected earth from another invasion, along with the fact that her empire was presently under seige by the Replicators.

'Nasty sons of bitches, these Sons of Darkness,' O'Neill mused. He almost admired their tenacity. Neith was kind enough to lay out some background for him, and it was a fascinating little story. Reading between the lines of what Her Lord Empress said, O'Neill was able to gather that a falling out of sort had occurred between Neith and Belial. She let him attack Earth with the full might of the Sons Of Darkness, knowing full well that Earth was protected by the Asgard. If Belial had succeeded, then Neith would no longer have to worry about earth.

'But by wiping out Belial and his invasion force, we were ridding Neith of an enemy right in her own royal court,' O'Neill realized. 'And now she's come a-calling, hoping that we'll rid her of yet another enemy.'

"Say we do what you want," O'Neill said, once Neith was done with her pitch. "Say we wipe out the Replicators for you. What would we get from doing that?"

"Peace," Neith replied. "The Netian Empire will not launch any further invasions of Earth."

O'Neill shared a look of exasperation with Bobby Lyman, who sat beside him at the conference table, and then chuckled as he shook his head.

"Is something humorous?" Ba'al demanded.

"That's not much of an incentive for us to help you, because we're already very well protected from any future invasions by you, or anybody else," O'Neill pointed out.

"What would you propose?" Neith asked.

Before he could reply, O'Neill saw Olivia appear at the tent entrance, along with Lt. Emmuas. They both gazed at him with urgency, with Olivia frantically gesturing for him to come over to them. Knowing they wouldn't have interrupted the meeting unless they had some really big news, O'Neill excused himself from the table.

"Flash traffic from the SGC, sir," Emmaus said, as she gave him a tablet computer. "Just came through the gate, now."

O'Neill's heart sank as he skimmed over the news, the worst of which was the fate of the Prometheus. The better part of the news was the fact that Sam and company apparently had stopped the Sons Of Darkness from carrying out an attack on Earth with the Replicators.

"You're not gonna believe what happened with Casey," Olivia said, once he glanced up from the tablet.

"Bottom-line it for me, Liv."

"She was betrayed by Io'tan, who kicked both Casey and Char'el off the Hak'tyl by selling them into slavery," Olivia said, incensed. "Neith then arrested Char'el for being a traitor. She's still got him as her prisoner. Casey's worried sick about him."

O'Neill's mind raced, as he sought a way to excuse himself from this meeting entirely. Too many things were happening elsewhere that needed his full attention. Glancing down at the tablet, O'Neill realized he had just been given the perfect excuse.

He went back over to the table. Neith, perhaps sensing something, stood up. "Is there a problem, General O'Neill?"

"Yes, I've just been informed that an unidentified Alkesh had just tried to breech our airspace," O'Neill said.

"If you think it was us, you are sadly mistaken," Ba'al said.

"We don't know who it was yet," O'Neill lied. "They haven't given me too many details. So you'll have to excuse me, for I must report back home right away. I will also inform my superiors of your proposal, and hopefully will have an answer for you shortly."

"Wait," Ba'al said. "We don't have any real proof that you can truly defeat the Replicators. How can we continue to negotiate with you in good faith without such proof?"

"They defeated our invasion forces easily enough," Neith said. "That is proof enough for me of their abilities. Very well, General O'Neill. I shall take my leave, and await your reply. Shall this camp be kept operational for future meetings?"

"Yes, it will. There's one more thing," O'Neill added, almost as if it were an afterthought. "Something which you could help us with right now."

"And what would that be?"

"I'm told that you're holding a Jaffa named Char'el in custody," O'Neill said. "I would like him to be released to us right now."

Ba'al glared at him as if O'Neill had just cursed his mother. "What business is it of yours? That Jaffa is a Shol'va!"

"You just mentioned something about negotiating in good faith. Releasing Char'el to us will be a magnificent display of your good faith. Besides," O'Neill added, turning to Neith, "_you_ also mentioned that the Netian Empire was in Casey Novak's debt. Char'el is her lover."

"Consider it done," Neith said quickly. She turned to To'mar. "Make it happen."

The First Prime bowed as he left the tent.

"Gail, they're getting Char'el," Bobby called. "Have medics waiting for him at the gate."

"Aye-aye, sir!" She and Olivia left the tent. O'Neill assumed Liv was going to tell Casey the good news.

After a few minutes, a severely battered and bruised Char'el was brought through the stargate, into the waiting arms of Casey and a team of medics. The gate was shut down, then started up once more as To'mar dialed back out. Yet even while the glittering stargate waited for her to step through, Neith paused and turned back towards O'Neill.

"I was eager to meet the man who killed me," Neith said with a smile. "May this first meeting lead to a lasting friendship. For I do hope that we can avoid what happened in the past from occurring once again in the future."

'Shrewd broad,' O'Neill thought, as he watched Neith, along with her whole entourage, enter the stargate. When he first heard about Neith having been resurrected, O'Neill wondered if it was truly the same Neith whom he had killed. This meeting had erased any doubts about who he was dealing with, for it was now clear in O'Neill's mind that Neith had returned in all of her frightening glory.

Once the Netian Empire contingent was gone and the gate was shut down, Bobby ordered his Marines to dial the SGC.

"What do you think?" Olivia asked him. "You think Neith's treating this alliance thing for real?"

"I know she's desperate enough for our help to go through the trouble of bringing Char'el here," O'Neill replied. "The Replicators must really be biting them hard on the ass to get this kind of a reaction. And I'm normally inclined to just let the little buggers feast away. But, as the message we just got proves, the Sons Of Darkness have already turned their attention towards us."

Within ten minutes, O'Neill was walking down the ramp at the SGC with Liv. Ahead of them was Frasier and her team, who carried the unconscious Char'el on a stretcher. An anxious Casey followed Char'el as he was being carried wheeled out of the gate room towards the infirmary.

Sam stood with Mitchell, Teal'c, Daniel, Satterfield and Hailey off to the side. As he and Olivia walked over to them, O'Neill said, "The Netian Empire is infested with the Replicators. Neith is practically begging for our help."

"Oh, really?" Daniel said with a curious look. "Talk about poetic justice."

"Neith basically wants us to make like exterminators and rid the Empire of all Replicators for them," Olivia said.

"Looks like we didn't get them all at the Devil's Lair," Sam said, annoyed.

"It was the Sons Of Darkness who released them into the Empire as revenge for Lord Belial," O'Neill said.

"And the Sons Of Bitches just tried it here," Mitchell said.

"But you stopped them," O'Neill said, with a glance at Mitchell, Teal'c, Hailey and Sam. "Superb work, all of you."

"There's more, sir," Sam said, with a small smile. "The crashed Alkesh ship on the moon had reams of information about the Sons, including the location of their new base."

"We looked it up in the stargate charts," Mitchell said. "It's listed."

"It is on the planet Shalio," Teal'c said. "It used to be a Goa'uld stronghold that has been abandoned since before the beginning of the current war."

"Why was it abandoned?" Olivia asked. "Because they were embarrassed by of the goofy name?"

"I do not know," Teal'c replied with a shrug.

"Regardless of why the Goa'uld left, the Sons are there now, and that's all that matters. This is outstanding news," O'Neill said. "Anybody feel like paying Shala a little visit?"

"The sooner the better, sir," Sam said. "Once the Sons find out their ship is overdue, they may bug out of their present location. And um, sir…it's Shalio, not Shala. "

O'Neill patted her on the arm. "Thank you, Carter. Get SG-1 assembled for a meeting in the conference room, ASAP. I'll be there shortly."

"Yes, sir," she said, giving him a salute. She then glanced at Olivia. "Liv? You up to another mission so soon?"

"Why not?" she replied, gesturing at the combat gear she wore. "I'm already dressed for it, anyway."

"General?" This was Camille, who walked into the gate room. "We've just received word that General Hammond, along with Mr. Woolsey, are in transit and will arrive here within the hour. And there's something else."

O'Neill gestured for her to wait when he noticed that, as SG-1 left the gate room, Daniel and Grace hung back as they gazed urgently at him.

"What is it, Daniel?" O'Neill asked. "You come across something in your research about the Ori?"

"Um, actually, no, we didn't," Daniel admitted. "But Grace and I realized something. Something very important."

O'Neill just stared expectantly at him. "Which was?"

"The location of the largest storehouse of Ancient knowledge in the universe!" Grace replied excitedly.

"I see. And just where is this latest obscure temple located?" O'Neill wearily asked.

"In the Pegasus Galaxy," Daniel replied, as he burst into a grin. "It's Atlantis, Jack. If there's any place that would have information about the Ori, as well as the Replicators, it would be the Atlantis base. We really need to pay them a visit."

"That's the other thing I was just about to tell you," Camille said. "Before you arrived, General, we just received flash traffic from Atlantis, and Dr. Weir has reported that they will soon face a major assault by the Wraith."

After exchanging a pained look with Daniel, O'Neill just slowly shook his head and muttered, "Well, that's just _perfect_…."

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

_My thanks to those of you who have favored either me, or this story. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Nine**

Jacob stood amidst the devastated wasteland that was once known as the planet Tyro, a thriving world of several million people. He stood before the stargate with his hands bound behind his back, with a pair of Ori soldiers on either side of him. In the distance, he could still hear the massive bulldozers plowing the multitude of bodies into mass graves. This grim burial operation ran day and night.

They had been brought to the planet's surface by the Ori in their life pod. Once the hatch was opened, their group was immediately separated by the soldiers, who spoke in a language that neither Jacob, nor Selmak, could understand.

Jacob felt especially bad for Everett and TJ; it was obvious that they cared deeply for each other, and TJ still tried to cling to Everett while the Ori soldiers had heartlessly ripped them from each other's grasp. That was when their wrists were bound behind their backs and they were each escorted into private rooms within a large, ornate building that appeared to have been the seat of the Tyro government.

Jacob had been carefully examined by two human-looking men with sophisticated devices. He had tried speaking with them, but to no avail. At one point, Selmak had even taken over and tried conversing with the men in Goa'uld, as well as a few other languages. But if the men had understood a word of what Selmak said, they didn't let on.

When their testing was finished, one of the men left the room, then came back with a guy who had to be the leader. He was dressed in white robes, held a large staff in one hand, and his skin was whiter than newly fallen snow. But it was the man's eyes that really got Jacob's attention.

They glowed a brilliant red.

'I have never seen anything like this before,' Selmak had said.

"Hello," Jacob asked. "Are you the guy in charge?"

The robed man just stared at Jacob as if he were a bug, then he nodded his head to the other men, as if in approval. Jacob wasn't sure if that was a god thing or not. But that was when Jacob was escorted out of the room by the soldiers and brought before the stargate.

He was joined by Everett Young, who also had his hands tied behind his back, and was escorted by another pair of Ori troopers. "Jacob, good to see you. Did you see where they took TJ and the others?"

Jacob shook his head sadly. "I was examined by a pair of guys in a small room. Then a guy with glowing red eyes came in and nodded. It was like I passed some kind of a test."

"Yeah, the same thing just happened with me too." Everett looked uneasy. "You don't suppose they were checking to see if we had caught the plague they used here?"

"No idea. I do know that we're going on a trip," Jacob replied, as he nodded at one of the Ori troopers, who dialed up the gate.

"You see _this_ gizmo?" Everett asked.

Jacob nodded. The device was hard to avoid, for it was the size of a tank as it sat next to the gate…and it glowed ominously. "Could it be a generator?"

"For the stargate?" Everett asked skeptically. "I thought their power was self-contained."

"No, wait…it _is_ for the stargate," Jacob suddenly said, as he watched the soldier engage an eighth chevron.

Everett grunted in amazement. "An eighth chevron, just like when they dial it for Atlantis…we're going to another galaxy!"

"You wanna take bets on whether it'll be Pegasus?" Jacob joked darkly, just before they were shoved by the soldiers through the event horizon.

The trip was slightly longer than normal through the wormhole, and when they stepped through to the other side, Jacob found himself standing in a castle of some kind. There were more Ori soldiers who greeted them.

Speaking harshly in their own language, the soldiers gestured for Jacob and Everett to come with them, which they did. They didn't have much choice in the matter.

They were led to a grand hallway, at the end of which was something that looked to Jacob like a huge fireplace. As they were being led up to it, he realized that the glowing, pulsing firestorm behind the black gates wasn't fire, but some sort of extremely powerful energy.

A figure emerged from this maelstrom of fiery light, and the black gates automatically opened to allow him to step into the room. It was a man, with snow-white skin and glowing red eyes. But the elaborate design of his robe, and the regal manner with which he held himself, easily designated him as being a leader.

"Doci," the soldiers said in unison. The respect in which they spoke this word made it obvious to Jacob that this fellow was their leader.

The Ori soldiers forced both Jacob and Everett to their knees as their leader strode up to them. The Doci glared at them with a smile that was frightening to behold. Then he spoke a few simple-sounding words in their language.

"We can't understand you," Everett said. "I don't know if you can-"

He ceased talking when one of the Ori soldiers punched him on the side of the head. The guttural-sounding words he spoke were still gibberish to Jacob, yet he still understood: do not speak.

The Doci glared down at Jacob as he held out his hand. At first, Jacob though the Ori leader was going to help him to his feet. But then the man turned his hand so that his palm was directed at Jacob's face.

And his hand began to glow.

"You ever get to see my kids and grandkids, Everett," Jacob said softly, "tell them I love them, ok?"

Everett laughed bitterly. "Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing with regards to my family. I sure wish I knew if TJ was all right."

Jacob glanced over and saw the Ori leader was about to touch Everett's face with his other hand, which also glowed unnaturally.

"It's been nice knowing you, Jacob."

"Yeah, Everett…you too."

That was the last thing Jacob had managed to say, just before the searing, white hot flames bored its way into his skull through his eyes.

**SG-1: SVU**

General Hammond and Mr. Woolsey arrived in time to be able to sit in on the conference room meeting with SG-1. O'Neill had also invited Stacy Monroe, the commander of the Icarus, so she could give her report as to what they found aboard the captured Alkesh that was used by the Sons.

As O'Neill sat at the conference table with everyone, a growing sense of dread filled him as he realized that things were now coming to a hard boil.

They had scored big time with the discovery the location of the Sons Of Darkness' newest base, while Daniel realized that Atlantis would prove to be the best bet for discovering information on the Ori. But there was a time limit on everything: once the Sons realized that the ship they'd sent to earth was overdue, they might evacuate their base. And Atlantis was facing a major invasion force from the Wraith that might force _them_ to evacuate their base completely.

'And let's not forget the Ori super gate,' O'Neill dismally reminded himself. He had seen the photos that Sam had brought back, and was astonished, and annoyed, to see how far along the gate was. And now that it had just fended off an attack by the Prometheus, O'Neill would have no doubt that the Ori builders would be working double time to get the gate ready.

As Camille read the dire message from Dr. Weir aloud to the group at the table, O'Neill realized that they really needed their own fleet of ships to deal with this crisis. But while Jonas Quinn and his team of designers were hard at work on building a fleet of more powerful vessels at Area 51, with the rapid way events were unfolding, Earth may wind up being destroyed long before its fleet was ready. By the time the earth fleet was able to fight, the Ori super gate will have long been completed, and….

'Hold on, that's it, isn't it?' O'Neill thought, as he was seized with an epiphany. 'The super gate was really the key to this whole affair…but not for the Ori…for us.'

"Sir?"

Sam's concerned voice roused O'Neill out of his musings. He glanced around the table to see everyone now stared expectedly at him. "Oh, sorry, Carter, guess I faded out on you there, didn't I?"

"You all right, sir?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, just doing some thinking about this entire situation that we're facing."

"I know that look, Jack," Hammond said, with a slight smile. "What are you planning?"

"Something really crazy," O'Neill replied thoughtfully, as the last few pieces of his plan fell into place within his mind. "Yeah, it's a pretty crazy plan, but it might just work…."

"You have a plan on stopping the Ori from completing their super gate?" Woolsey said hopefully.

"Actually, Mr. Woolsey, my plan requires that the Ori _complete_ their super gate," O'Neill said.

Woolsey stared at him as if he were insane. "Excuse me, but I thought it was agreed that we would send the Icarus to attack the Ori super gate."

"I discussed that matter with you on the plane ride over here, Mr. Woolsey," Hammond corrected him. "But that did not mean that I had endorsed the idea."

"If we send the Icarus, it will just get blown away by the Ori super gate, just like the Prometheus was," O'Neill said. "No offense to you and your crew, Stacy."

She nodded. "None taken, sir."

O'Neill just shook his head. "No, there's really no stopping the Ori from completing that gate and sending their fleet in."

"And that's it?" Woolsey asked, sounding frantic. "We just ignore them and let the Ori invade us en mass?"

"No," O'Neill replied, as he thoughtfully gazed at his hands. "Because, by the time they get that super gate operational and start sending their fleet through, I hope to have a little welcoming party ready for them."

"Really?" Woolsey asked incredulously. "How? You said yourself that the Icarus won't be a match for them."

"If all goes well, Mr. Woolsey, Her Lord Empress Neith, along with a good chunk of the Netian Empire battle fleet, will be there to greet the Ori as they come through the super gate," O'Neill replied.

Olivia leaned forward. "You plan on asking Neith to attack the Ori?"

"I trust Neith about as much as I trust the Ori, Liv," O'Neill said. "No, I'm planning on tricking her into attacking the Ori."

"And what if she decides not to attack them?" Woolsey asked.

"Then we are in deep doo-doo," O'Neill admitted. "But I seriously doubt that Neith will just ignore the Ori."

"Uh, yeah, I agree," Daniel spoke up. "I mean, Neith is the goddess of the hunt and of warfare. She's proven herself to be a masterful tactician who hasn't backed down from a fight yet. So when she sees these new bullies stomping around in her back yard, I'm also willing to bet that she's going to attack them."

"But for right now," O'Neill added, "I want to split SG-1 up. Carter, you can make the decision on how the team gets split. But half of SG-1, along with a company of Marines, goes to Atlantis. They'll use their Ancient library and find out whatever they can about the Ori. Hopefully, they'll be able to find us something that we can use to defeat the Ori."

"We might be dropping in right in the middle of the Wraith attack, sir," she reminded him.

O'Neill nodded. "That's why you'll be bringing the Marines with you. They will help with the defense of the Atlantis base against the Wraith."

"And what about the other half of SG-1, Jack?" Hammond asked.

"They will attack the Sons' new base on the planet Shalio from the Icarus."

Sam turned to Mitchell and said, "Cam, you want to head up that assignment? I'll take the team to Atlantis."

"Will do." Mitchell glanced at O'Neill. "Will we have Marines with us, as well, sir?"

"Yes. Whatever you need, just ask for it. That goes for you, as well, Monroe. But bear in mind that _your_ mission is top secret," O'Neill said. "Even afterwards, when it's over, nobody must know that the Sons Of Darkness have been taken out. It's all part of the greater plan, understand?"

When everyone nodded, Sam spoke up: "Sir, what if things get too hot for us on Atlantis?"

"If it looks like the Wraith are winning, then evac the Atlantis base with the rest of the team. But be sure to blow it up. Bring a nuke with you. Hell, bring several, just to be sure."

"Leave them nothing," she said with a nod. "Got it, sir."

Hammond had a satisfied look on his face. "So your plan is to try and retrieve whatever information you can to defeat the Ori from the Atlantis base. And, failing that, you'll then try to get the two biggest bruisers in the galaxy to beat each other to a pulp. I like it."

"Thanks, sir," O'Neill said. "It's also my hope that, while Neith and the Ori are battling it out, we'll send a team into the Tyro system to try and rescue the survivors of the Prometheus under cover of all the chaos. Do we have your approval?"

"You have a go, Jack," he said softly. "Good luck to you all."

"Yes," Woolsey chimed in. "May you all come back safely."

O'Neill stood up. "In that case, seeing as we're pressed for time, I'd like SG-1 to start getting ready for their assignments, pronto. Carter, may I speak with you in private?"

They walked into his office, and no sooner did O'Neill shut the door than did Sam embrace him tightly. The shades were all drawn, giving them all the privacy they needed. Having her this close to him felt so good. But O'Neill had wanted to explain to her why they didn't go after any survivors of the Prometheus, specifically her dad, right away. Sam's reaction, pleasant as it was, had caught him off guard.

"I'm sorry," O'Neill said softly, as he tightly returned her hug.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she told him, her face buried in his shoulder. He gently rubbed the back of her head.

"It's just that I don't want you to think that I've forgotten Jacob," he said. "Far from it, I'm-"

"You're doing everything in your power to help him," she said, cutting him off. Sam gazed up at him with sheer love in her eyes. "I understand, Jack, believe me, I do. And I love you with all my heart. I guess I just needed a hug right now."

"Any time." They kissed passionately just then, and O'Neill found himself wanting her to stay here and be safe with him. But that wouldn't be fair to her, the commander of SG-1, who needed to be in the field with her people. And so when they parted, all he said was: "You be careful in Atlantis."

"We will," she promised him. "And now, if you'll excuse me…sir."

"Go get 'em, Carter," he said, as he opened the door for her.

O'Neill watched as Sam huddled with the SG-1 team members as they quickly sorted out who would do what. He momentarily felt an odd pang of regret for becoming a general, because he wanted nothing more right now than to go out there with all of them.

'I'll gladly settle for all of them coming back home, safe and sound,' O'Neill thought.

**SG-1: SVU**

Vala let out a heavy sigh as she sat cross-legged on her bed in her private room at SGC. Her private room might as well have been her prison cell, for she was practically locked inside it, with a guard always posted right outside her door. Vala, who was barefoot, and clad in a black t-shirt with a pair of green BDU pants, glumly leafed through a magazine. But she wasn't really paying any attention to the magazine; her thoughts instead were focused on the main problem at hand, which was how the Hades was she ever going to get them to completely trust her?

Vala had heard the gate klaxon sound several times earlier, and as much as she wanted to just go and see what was happening, the guard would not permit her to leave the room. Vala wasn't just desperate to help the SGC out of boredom, but because she had genuinely wanted to help. She desperately _needed_ to help.

Vala still retained the memories of Qetesh, including some horrendous things that damn snake had done while using her body. Horrible things, such as many vicious torture sessions, with poor helpless victims writhing helplessly bound, all while Qetesh had laughed in their faces. She had literally giggled right in the face of one poor soul until he was dead.

While Vala fully realized that it hadn't been truly her who had committed these evil deeds, that still didn't make her feel any better. Once she was freed of Qetesh, and once Vala realized that she still had that damn snake's memories, she was determined to put these memories to good use in helping people for a change.

'But what good am I, how can I help anybody, as long as they keep me locked up in here?' Vala thought morosely.

She was startled by a knock at the door. "Vala, this is Colonel Mitchell," he called through the door. "You decent?"  
Vala got up from the bed and opened the door. "I'm always decent, Colonel Mitchell."

Mitchell regarded her coolly as he leaned against the doorframe. "What do you know about a Goa'uld stronghold called Shalio?"

"Well, for one thing, it's no longer a Goa'uld stronghold. Ba'al and Qetesh abandoned it quite some time ago." She regarded him suspiciously. "But you already knew that, didn't you?"

He smiled and nodded. "I knew it was abandoned. But not by Ba'al and his gal. Why was it abandoned?"

"Because it was too far out of the way to adequately defend it, not to mention that it was very old and run down. Most of the technology within the base is obsolete," Vala told him. "So Ba'al had everything of value moved from Shalio and it was left abandoned."

"What else do you know about it? The layout?"

Vala suddenly felt like she was back in school again, giving an oral test. "It's basically an underground storage facility, originally built by a conquered race; I don't know who, because Ba'al had exterminated them long before Qetesh joined him. The only evidence of the base's existence is a large, hardened bunker on the surface. It's largely a desert planet. May I ask why you wish to know all of this?"

"Just got word that the Sons Of Darkness are using Shalio for their base," Mitchell said. "And we're going to hit it. You interesting in coming? I could use an expert on the layout."

"Right now?" Vala said excitedly. When Mitchell nodded in response, she giddily left her room and strode into the hallway. "Well, then, let's go! What are we waiting for?"

"Vala?" Mitchell pointed at her feet. "Shoes?"

"Oh, yeah…right." Vala ran back into her room, picked up her boots and a pair of fresh socks and tucked them under her arm. "I can put these on when I 'gear up'. That's how you say it? 'Gear up', yeah?"

"Works for me," he said with a shrug, as they began walking down the corridor.

"Oh, you think I could have a weapon this time?" Vala asked.

"No," Mitchell quickly replied. He gave her a sideways glance. "Look, you're coming, ok? Don't push your luck."

"Ok, ok," Vala said. "You're absolutely right."

Despite being denied a weapon, Vala was still giddy enough to just be out on another mission with SG-1. 'At least I'm finally out of that damned room!' she happily thought.

Various SGC personnel in the corridors all stared in puzzlement, as well as in amusement, at the black-haired, barefoot woman who merrily skipped alongside a stoic Colonel Mitchell as they made their way down the hall.

**SG-1: SVU**

"What do you want with me?"

The women were dressed in white, which made them look like doctors. They quietly and quickly fussed around TJ. She sat on a table with her hands bound behind her back. The room they were in appeared to have been the office of some bureaucrat in another time. A time before the entire population of this world had been needlessly slaughtered by the Ori.

Suddenly, a man clad in robes and holding a staff entered the room. His face was a shade of white unlike anything TJ had ever seen. But that wasn't the most striking thing about him. His eyes appeared to glow a vibrant red. He regarded TJ coldly, which sent chills running up her spine.

"Are you in charge?" TJ meekly asked him. "Because, if you are, I-I'd like to ask if-"

The man spoke just then in their unknown language, completely ignoring TJ, as if she weren't even there. The two women then bowed to him, one of them saying something in return.

Apparently, TJ's initial guess that this guy was in charge was correct. Seeing the way the women regarded him, with a great deal of reverence, made it clear to her that he was the head honcho. But was he the overall leader, or just a field commander?

The robed man then nodded with an approving smile. Then he gestured at her, and before she knew it, TJ was being hauled off of the table by the women. TJ was made to walk down a corridor, behind the robed man, who led her and her female escorts to another room.

Once TJ stepped through the doorway, she stopped and gaped in horror. The windows in this room had been covered with large curtains that bore the marking of the invaders. There were also four large candleholders that were alit at the four corners of a large table, which was the only piece of furniture in the room.

And the table was empty, save for four separate straps.

Realizing she was going to be tied down to the table, a frantic TJ turned on her heel and plowed right into the two women who walked behind her. She had caught them off guard, knocking them both to the floor of the corridor as she made a run for it. She still had her hands tied behind her back and was trapped, alone, behind enemy lines on an alien world. But TJ had figured that being shot down by the Ori troopers in the woods like a dog would be far more preferable than whatever horrors that they had planned for her inside that dimly lit room.

But TJ was unexpectedly seized by an invisible force that froze her right where she stood. She couldn't move any of her muscles. And, worse yet, TJ found that she could not even breathe. She stood helplessly frozen, gasping for air that was not there, as the robed man walked over and regarded her balefully with his glowing red eyes.

He muttered something under his breath, something that the panic-stricken TJ could not hear, and then he waved his hand.

Just seconds before she was about to black out from lack of air, TJ was released from the strange spell that the robed man had cast over her. She could move, and breathe, once more. But the whole ordeal, as brief as it was, had sapped TJ of all of her strength to the point where her female escorts had to practically carry her into the room.

"No, wait…." TJ weakly said, as the women sat her on the edge of the table. They began to remove her clothes. What they could not slip off was cut off with a sharp knife. Completely nude, she was then made to lay down.

"What are you doing?" TJ cried, as her arms were cut loose from behind her back, only to be retied above her head to the top of the table. Her feet were then bound at the ankles to the opposite sides of the table, spreading her legs apart in a vulgar manner. "Oh, God….please…."

The women collected the tatters of what remained of TJ's uniform, then bowed to the robed man, and then they left the room.

"What are you doing?" TJ asked, on the verge of tears. "Why are you doing this to me? ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!"

The robed man simply continued watching her with those unnaturally red eyes of his, until the door opened. In the dimness of the room, it was hard for TJ to make out who had just entered. But the second man was clad in the same type of robes as her captor. TJ couldn't see his face in the darkness.

The first robed man nodded at him, then left the room.

As the second robed man stalked over to the table, where TJ was helplessly bound nude, she gritted herself for what was to come. "Do your worse to me! It won't matter, because you won't get what you want. You hear me? No matter what you do to me, I'll _never_ give you what you want!"

"Easy, TJ," the man said in a familiar voice. "It's me, Everett."

All of the combativeness that TJ had thrown up like a shield instantly melted in that moment. "Everett?" she cried, her voice breaking. Leave to him to somehow get free and fake his way in here. "Oh, God, Everett, you don't know how happy I am to-"

TJ froze up once Everett had stepped into the light. His face was now just as white as the other robed man. And his eyes….

…they glowed as red as molten lava.

"OH, MY GOD, EVERETT!"

He calmly shushed her just then. "It's all right, TJ."

"It's all right? What the hell are you talking about? Look at you! You look like their leader! What happened to you?"

"Something wonderful," he replied, as he slowly climbed onto the table. Right on top of her naked body. His legs were bare.

TJ stared at him in complete and utter shock. "What are you doing?"

"A wondrous and beautiful task. You should feel privileged, TJ, for you and I have been chosen by the Doci, the high Ori leader, to aid him in something that is truly glorious! And you have been specifically chosen for this highest of high honors."

"EVERETT, NO! STOP! NO!" TJ screamed, as she frantically tried to wiggle out from under Everett. But her restraints kept her helplessly splayed out underneath him. "OH, GOD…PLEASE, LET ME WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE! LET ME WAKE UP NOW! PLEASE, GOD…_PLEASE_…."

"Hallowed be the Ori," the thing that was Everett Young said softly, just before he began to rape her.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Chevron four, locked," Walter called over the intercom.

'And here we go again,' Olivia thought, as she thoughtfully watched the stargate as it spun around. She had barely spent six hours here at the SGC, and now she was going back out again. And this time it would be to another galaxy.

Mitchell had taken Hailey, Teal'c and Vala with him. They had all left aboard the Icarus about a half an hour ago to destroy the Sons Of Darkness base. And now Olivia, along with Sam, Daniel and Grace were about to step through the wormhole with Colonel Bobby Lyman and over two hundred Marines. They were all on their way to Atlantis, a base which faced the threat of being under siege by the Wraith within the next few hours.

Bobby was bringing along rail guns, which had originally been earmarked for a refit of the Prometheus. But since that vessel had just been destroyed, Jack had quickly ordered the guns to be refitted into anti-aircraft cannons. They had been placed on wheeled bases and were complete with seats for the gunners. In addition to the rail guns, they were also bringing along some nukes along for the ride. The nukes were similar to Little Nellie, whom they used to destroy a Ha'tak vessel during the Battle For the Antarctic.

"Chevron five, locked."

As Olivia gazed at the massive army that stood waiting for the gate to open, she felt a great sense of unease within her. But it was not a fear from anticipating the coming battle. Instead, Olivia could not stop thinking about TJ.

"Chevron six, locked."

Olivia knew that TJ had been aboard the Prometheus when it was destroyed by the Ori. There was a poignant moment in the infirmary earlier, when Janet was giving Olivia a routine check up, and the doctor had absently asked TJ to retrieve a piece of medical equipment for her…only to realize that TJ wasn't there.

The hurt look that Janet had at that moment, when she realized that TJ was perhaps gone for good, was extremely painful for Olivia to see. And her casual mentioning of TJ's name had caused an uncomfortable pause in the infirmary. Olivia was about to console the doctor, but Janet quickly went to ease the pain of one of the nurses, who had burst into tears just then.

It was at that moment that Olivia realized that Janet was really the momma bear for the people in the infirmary. After helping the young nurse to pull herself back together, Janet gently urged the rest of her staff to do the same.

"We don't know what exactly happened to TJ," Janet told her people. "And until we know for sure, as far as I'm concerned, she's still alive out there, somewhere. And by continuing to do our jobs like the professionals that we are, we're showing that we're not giving up on TJ. We're not giving up on any of the people aboard the Prometheus."

Olivia had glanced over at Sam, who sat on the bed opposite from her, and saw that she had also begun to cry. Olivia knew that the cause of Sam's despair was her father, who was also one of the missing souls aboard the Prometheus. Olivia had promptly got up and drew the curtain around Sam's bed, giving her some privacy. Then she sat down next to Sam and placed an arm around her friend. Sam leaned over and placed her head on Olivia's shoulder.

Olivia didn't say anything as Sam softly cried against her shoulder. There was really nothing to say at this moment. But it was enough that Olivia was there for her friend. She just rubbed Sam's blond hair and gently rocked back and forth in a soothing motion. That was how Janet found them when she came back.

Janet appeared to deflate slightly as soon as she took cover behind the curtain that Olivia had drawn around the bed. Despite her pep talk to her staff, Janet looked bone-weary and on the verge of crying herself.

"It's damned hard," Janet whispered, as she placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "But don't you give up on Jacob, either, Sam."

"I won't," Sam promised, as she wiped away her tears with a tissue that Janet got for her. "Never."

"Chevron seven, locked!" Walter called.

Olivia was instantly snapped out of her reverie. She was further startled to hear Walter call out that the eighth Chevron had been locked, and then the stargate opened with its customary flourish. Then Olivia remembered that it took an extra chevron to bridge the gap between galaxies.

Olivia smiled as she watched Daniel and Grace continue to go over the list of questions they had made up to ask the Atlantis database. She loved how Grace kept finishing Daniel's sentences for him whenever he became preoccupied by writing down yet another note. Sam once asked her if she was jealous of Daniel's close relationship with Grace. But Olivia was never bothered by their close bond, for she knew that Daniel saw Grace as being the little sister he never had. Olivia also treated Grace, and Hailey, as being her little sisters, as well.

When Bobby nodded at her, Gail Emmaus turned to the large group of Marines and shouted: "EVERYBODY FORM UP! GET READY TO MOVE OUT!"

Olivia grinned as the various Marine Sergeants within the enlarged SG-3 promptly took up Gail's call to arms by walking up and down the line of troops and started screaming at them with profanity-laced tirades.

"Is the trip going to be any longer?" Grace nervously asked. "I mean, we _are_ going to another galaxy, after all."

"It's a little further out," Sam admitted. "But the ride's the same…at least, that's what Dr. Weir told me once, when she came back for a visit. You'll be there before you know it, as usual. Don't worry about it."

Daniel shook his head uneasily as they walked up to the event horizon. "Actually, I'm more worried about meeting the Wraith. Soul-sucking vampires? I'm already missing the Netian Empire!"

"Soul-sucking space vampires from hell," Olivia wearily muttered, just before she stepped through the stargate. "This really just keeps getting better by the minute, doesn't it?"

Grace exploded into laughter at that, just as Olivia entered the wormhole. And Olivia had the pleasant sensation of hearing Grace's laughter echoed along with her as she traveled through the swirling vortex between the galaxies. Olivia wasn't sure whether she'd imagined it or not, but it was a nice accompaniment to the ride, nonetheless.

When she emerged on the other side, it was in the main hall of Atlantis, which gleamed and glittered majestically. This was Olivia's very first trip to the Atlantis base, and she found herself being very impressed with the city of the Ancients. It was so beautiful that it simply took her breath away.

Dr. Weir descended a grand staircase with Colonel Sheppard and a lean young woman dressed in tribal leathers.

"Dr. Weir," Sam said in greeting. She gestured at Olivia, Daniel, and Grace, and introduced each of them. "This is my team…well, this is about half of them, anyway."

"And you know Colonel Sheppard," Weir said. She gestured to the woman who stood with them and added, "This is Teyla Emmagan."

"I am very pleased to meet you," Teyla said with a polite nod of her head. The warm smile she had made Olivia like her immediately.

"We're _all_ very happy to see you guys," Sheppard told them. He nodded in approval at one of the rail gun cannons that was being hauled through the gate. "Especially the Marines, who I see have brought some pretty cool toys."

"How far are the Wraith?" Sam asked.

"Not very far at all," Sheppard replied grimly. "They're here, in the system. They've already taken out an Ancient defense satellite that Rodney managed to get working again, but not before the satellite took out one of the Wraith ships."

"Whoa, that's great!" Olivia blurted out. "One down already, right?"

Sheppard just shook his head dismally at her. "But that still leaves two Wraith Hive ships bearing down on us. The attack from the satellite has made them gun-shy, but, trust me, they're still coming. We're expecting to be attacked at any time, now."

Bobby, who overheard Sheppard, came over just then and said, "Guess the sooner we set up the anti-aircraft batteries, the better. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Lyman, USMC."

"Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, Air Force," he said, as they shook hands. "Come with me, I know a good place for us to talk about the defense set up."

"Excuse me," Dr. Weir said, as she pointed at special crates that were being carefully hauled throught he gate. "But are those nukes?"

"Yes, Doctor," Sam confirmed. "To aid in the destruction of the base, should it fall to the Wraith."

Weir looked as though she didn't like that at all. Yet before she could voice her objections, Sam added, "You stated in your report that the Wraith know that Atlantis is the gateway to Earth, Doctor Weir."

"That _is_ why they are attacking us," Teyla confirmed.

"Then we must make sure they don't come through the gate after us," Sam said firmly. "Should things go badly, of course."

"Because, God knows, Earth is having enough of trouble right now even without the Wraith," Daniel said with a weary exhale of breath.

"Why don't we all adjourn to the conference room?" Weir suggested. "We'll be able to discuss this better there."

As they walked up the steps, Olivia fell into step beside Teyla. "Just what we need," Olivia said, "another alien race out to conquer Earth. Just wish these intergalactic egomaniacs would stop trying to take us over!"

"Oh, the Wraith to not seek to conquer you," Teyla said. "They see Earth as being new feeding ground for them."

"Jeez! They want to eat us?" Olivia said with alarm. "It really just keeps getting better, you know? I mean, just when you think things can't get any worse, they do!"

"I've been living on Atlantis for some time, now," Teyla said, as she flashed Olivia another of her warm smiles. "And believe me, Olivia, I know exactly what you mean!"

**SG-1: SVU**

Once the last of the Marines headed for Atlantis were through, Walter shut down the stargate.

"Well," O'Neill said, with a glance at his watch, "all we can do now is wait."

An anxious-looking Camille just nodded as they stood in the control room. "They say that the waiting's the hardest part."

"When I was in the field," O'Neill started to say, but he was interrupted by the klaxon, which sounded once the gate began to dial by itself.

"Incoming traveler!" Walter called out.

"Close the iris," O'Neill ordered. "You know the routine, keep it shut until we know who it is."

The gate turned on behind the sealed iris. Walter glanced at a computer screen, which flashed information at him. "It's Jacob Carter, sir! His IDC checks out!"

"Thank God," O'Neill said with relief. "Open the iris."

Once the iris opened, O'Neill smiled as he waited in anticipation for his old friend to come through the gate. But his smile instantly faded at the sight of the being that did emerge from the event horizon.

Clad in long, flowing robes, the figure held a large staff in one hand. His face was as white as freshly fallen snow and his eyes…his eyes glowed a hellish red.

"Shut down the gate," O'Neill told Walter. While the sergeant busied himself with that task, the general leaned into the microphone and ahouted, "Guards, secure that prisoner!"

Within an instant, the security airmen stationed in the gate room obeyed O'Neill's order, and six automatic weapons were all aimed at the robed man who stood on the ramp. But the thing that was Jacob Carter continued to merely stand there with a serene look on his face.

"That's _him_, that's Jacob Carter," Camille said, as she stared in horror at the man who stood on the ramp. "What, in God's name, happened to him?"

"I don't know," O'Neill replied. He was equally stunned and repulsed at the transformation that had occurred to Jacob. "But, whatever the hell caused this, I'm pretty sure God had nothing to do with it!"

"Hallowed be the Ori," the thing that was once Jacob Carter intoned, his voice echoing off the walls of the gate room.

**To be continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

_I'd like to thank Marcus S. Lazarus for his private story tips. I'd also like to thank once more those of you who have favored this story. _

**SG-1: SVU 4**

**Chapter Ten**

Jacob was taken to a secure medical exam room, where they stripped and inspected every inch of his clothing, as well as his body. O'Neill and Camille watched through the glass as Jacob lay serenely on the examination table, while Fraiser and her team examined him, all under the careful supervision of armed guards.

Both the medical team, and the guards, all wore protective hazmat suits. Dr. Frasier, fully aware of the plague that swept Tyro, insisted that they take these strict precautions, just in case the Ori had tried to do the same thing here at the SGC. O'Neill agreed with her one hundred percent. He had Dr. Lam lead a second team into the gate room, where they fully decontaminated the gate and the surrounding area, just to be sure.

O'Neill watched as a man whom he considered to be one of his closest friends lay on the table with a smug look on his face. He was torn apart within, because this was Jacob, and then again it wasn't Jacob. Whatever the Ori did to him, O'Neill hoped that it could be reversed.

"What do you think they did to him?" Camille asked.

O'Neill wondered if she was reading his mind. "Turned him into one of them, would be my guess."

Camille shot him a perplexed look. "But the Ori pilot didn't have glowing eyes, nor was he as white as a ghost, like Jacob is now."

"My guess is that the pilot is just a foot soldier…a grunt." O'Neill nodded at the transformed Jacob. "He may well be what the Ori higher class looks like."

"But why transform one of our people into one of them?"

O'Neill answered her question with a question. "What better way to show off your power than this? They converted a former enemy over to their cause and sent him back as an example to the rest of us. This display of their power is meant to be an intimidation tactic."

"It's working pretty well," Camille said uneasily.

"Don't show it," O'Neill told her. "Don't give the Ori the satisfaction."

Fraiser abruptly told Jacob that he could get dressed, then left. She reappeared in the observation room with O'Neill and Camille, after having removed her hazmat suit. She was clad in surgical scrubs. "I have no idea what the hell happened to him," she admitted. "There's some form of alien energy within his body the likes of which I've never seen before."

"Hence the glowing eyes," O'Neill said. "Any chance of changing him back?"

Fraiser shrugged. "I'd like to run more tests on him, but I have to say that I'm at a loss on how to proceed, sir. I'm tempted to say that we're dealing with a level of technology here that's more advanced than anything we've seen, but…."

"Yes?" O'Neill prompted.

"I'm not even sure if it _is_ technology that we're dealing with here, sir," Frasier said. "I may be way off the mark, but I've got a hunch that the alien energy within Jacob Carter may well be a life form all its own."

"You mean we're dealing with something like how the Goa'uld takes over a human?" Camille asked.

Frasier nodded. "But instead of a snake, or any kind of a physical presence, the alien life form within the body is pure energy. At least that's what I think I'm seeing with Jacob."

"If that Ori thing inside of Jacob has full possession of him, then it also has full access to his memories," O'Neill said thoughtfully. "Which makes the Ori even worse opponents than we originally feared."

"We do not have to be opponents, Jack."

O'Neill was startled, and annoyed, to hear that comment had come from the examination room. Jacob had overheard them speaking. "I thought the intercom was switched to only receive," he said.

"It is," Camille confirmed with a glance at the controls. "He shouldn't have heard us."

"I am an Ori Prior, Jack. We see all, hear all, and know all."

"And, judging from your behavior on Tyro, you also kill all, as well," O'Neill shot back.

Jacob, who was now once again fully dressed in his robes, just spread his hands apart in a welcoming gesture. "I have been sent here in good faith to tell you that it need not come to that. The Ori are willing to embrace humanity, without bloodshed, as long as you convert to our ways."

"Like how _you_ converted, Jacob?" O'Neill asked. "Tell me, was your conversion voluntary? Or was it forced upon you?"

"I fought at first, Jack, but then I saw the enlightenment, and the love, that was a part of the Ori. Humanity shall know this same enlightenment, one way, or the other. Why not choose the way of peace, and join us in our holy state of bliss?"

"And if we say no?"

"As I've stated, Jack, you shall convert to the Ori way of life one way, or the other; either peacefully, or by force. It would be so much better to just accept your fate and join us as allies."

"Is this what happened to the other Prometheus crewmembers? Did you convert the members of SG-7, as well?"

"Being blessed to serve as an Ori Prior is a rare honor that was given only to Everett and myself, Jack," Jacob replied. "But the other survivors of the Prometheus are alive and well on Tyro."

"They did this to Everett Young, as well?" O'Neill said, repulsed.

"No need to fear, Jack," Jacob assured him. "Your people are all being treated well…for the time being."

"That last little remark, is that supposed to be a threat? Because you should know that we don't negotiate with those who take our people hostage."

"The Ori have acted most graciously towards those who would do them harm, Jack. The Prometheus attacked the super gate, and by rights we should have slaughtered all of the survivors in the life pods. Instead, we have cared for them in a manner as befitting the divine nature of the Ori, the most powerful and almighty…."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, " O'Neill said, cutting him off. "Spare me that speech, Jacob. I've also heard it from the Goa'uld, another race of super egomaniacs hell-bent on ruling the universe. You guys all talk tough and have lofty ideas, but you're really no different than any other common thug in the street."

He turned to Camille and Fraiser and said, "C'mon, I want to put as much distance between us and this _thing _as I possibly can." Once they were far enough away in the hall, O'Neill added, "I don't know if he can read our minds, or what. But I didn't want to take any chances."

"That's one thing that we can test him for," Fraiser said. "Telepathy, ESP…we've now established a protocol to use to look for stuff like that."

O'Neill nodded. "Good, do it. The more we know about these Priors, the better. What about the plague that killed everybody on Tyro, Frasier? Any sign of that here?"

"Nothing. He's come across as being clean of any spores, or of infection, in all of our tests."

"Since we're dealing with an unknown culture with advanced technology, we shouldn't rule out the prospect that he can still infect us with the plague at any time," Camille said. "I mean, I hate to sound paranoid, but…."

"No, that's a superb point, Camille," O'Neill said.

"We're way ahead of you, Ms. Wray," Frasier assured her. "Jacob's staying isolated in the exam room, and anybody dealing with him will be wearing full hazmat suits." Fraiser then gave O'Neill an anxious look. "I'm just concerned about what we're going to tell Sam when she gets back, sir. She's going to be heartbroken."

"I know," O'Neill said softly. "Leave that to me. I'll tell her."

O'Neill was further worried by the fact that Sam was now off in another galaxy, facing yet another malicious threat, the Wraith. He was concerned for her safety, as he was for everybody over there, but the was also worried about how he was going to tell her.

'One crisis at a time, Jack,' he grimly told himself, 'one damn crisis at a time….'

**SG1- SVU**

"Oh, hello, Olivia," Rodney McKay said, his tone dripping with sarcasm, "nice to see the NYPD is also here to help save us."

As she entered the conference room, Sam thought, 'Rodney McKay is just as smug as ever. Good to see some things never change in this universe….'

"Thanks, Rodney," Olivia replied, deadpan, as she took a seat next to Sam. "We _were_ going to bring the Mounties with us, but their horses were too skittish to come through the gate, so you're stuck with me."

"Oh, good one!" Radek Zelenka said to Olivia with a chuckle. As he glanced at a glowering Rodney, he added, "What? It was funny…."

"Fine time for you to be joking," Rodney said, annoyed.

"Boys," Dr. Weir called from where she sat in the center of the horseshoe-shaped table, "focus, please? We're here to discuss our options in light of this oncoming attack."

"What options are there?" Rodney asked with a shrug. "Look, we've got a Zed-PM powering the base. The city's own shields should withstand any attack by the hive ships."

"As long as the shields are up, will we be able to return fire?" Bobby asked.

"No," John Sheppard answered. "And the hive ships will keep pounding on us relentlessly, just like how they did when the Ancients were here."

"There is also the uncomfortable fact that the Wraith now know where we are," Teyla spoke up. "They may well call in reinforcements."

"Exactly," Sheppard said. "This is leading up to a prolonged siege, and if the Ancients couldn't hold out against the _first_ siege, then we're not going to do much better, now."

"So you're saying…what?" Weir asked sharply.

"That we should not rule out the possibility of evacuating Atlantis," Sheppard said grimly. "Now, I know that none of us wants that, but we may not have a choice in the matter."

Daniel raised his hand. "Um, excuse me, but we came here looking to use your Ancient library for a way of defeating the Ori. I really hate to be so blunt about it, but, as Colonel Sheppard was just pointing out, time _is_ of the essence, here."

"Yes, of course," Weir said with a nod. "Lieutenant Ford, would you be so kind as to show them where it is?"

"Yes, ma'am," a young black man said, as he got up from his seat at the end of the table. "If you'll come with me, please?"

"Would you go with them, Liv?" Sam whispered into her ear. "Daniel and Grace both have a tendency to get so lost in their work that they ignore everything that's going on around them."

"You got it, Sam," Olivia said, as she got up to join the group.

"You don't really care about us, do you?" Rodney abruptly accused Sam. "I mean, the only reason you're here is to raid the library, and then you're gone, right? It's basically, 'Goodbye Atlantis, and good luck!'"

"Did you not see the dozens upon dozens of Marines that SG-1 brought with them, Rodney?" Sheppard asked in an exasperated tone.

"Yeah, what are we, chopped liver?" Bobby jokingly added.

This brought a brief round of laughter from around the table. But Sam had to admit that Rodney actually had a point, although she would never say it aloud to him. She turned to Weir and said, "I'm sorry if it does seem like we're being callous to your situation in any way, Doctor. Believe when I say that that's not the fact, at all. But the situation back at home isn't getting much better than it is here."

"What _is_ the situation with the Ori, Colonel Carter?" Weir asked softly.

"We heard about the Prometheus," Sheppard added, with a shake of his head. "Damn shame…."

"They were unable to stop the Ori super gate from being finished, obviously," Sam told them. "And, as it stands now, we may be dealing with a full-scale Ori invasion fleet within the next thirty six hours, or less."

The Atlantis personnel all reeled back in their chairs, stunned at that news.

"How big is the super gate, Colonel Carter?" Radek asked.

"At least a hundred times the size of the average gate," Sam replied. "Based on a rough judgment of what I've seen of it, the super gate is the size of a small moon."

"So that's big enough for either a very large fleet of smaller ships," Rodney thoughtfully said, "or a small fleet of really big ships."

"Bear in mind that remnants of the Sons Of Darkness are still active," Sam added, "and that they have also unleashed the Replicators on the Netian Empire. Half of my team is away dealing with them as we speak. But you can easily see that we're pretty busy back at home. The General gave me explicit orders stating that, if the situation should grow dire enough, we are to evacuate the Atlantis base."

"That's what the nukes are for, I presume," Sheppard said. "You're gonna blow it?"

When Sam nodded, Rodney said, "But we have a self-destruct process."

"General O'Neill just wants to be sure there's nothing left behind for the Wraith," Sam said.

"What happens if you are unable to find anything about the Ori in our library, Colonel Carter?" Teyla asked.

"We go to plan B," Sam told them. "Which requires the Ori to complete the super gate."

"What?" Rodney said, shocked. "Whose crazy idea is this?"

"General O'Neill's," Sam replied, stone-faced.

Rodney shook his head. "Well, _that_ figures! I always knew O'Neill was completely insane, anyway…."

"_Rodney!_" Weir hissed at him in anger.

Sam noted with bemusement at how the entire command staff of Atlantis had flared up at Rodney in unison just then. She wasn't sure if they reacted like this because they all knew just how close she was to Jack, or just out of politeness.

Sam stared at Rodney evenly and said, "Yes, you're right. General O'Neill _is_ insane…and in a completely good way. I can't really divulge his entire plan right now, but suffice it to say, I think it's brilliant."

"If it works," Rodney countered.

"I'm betting my life that it will, Rodney. So are the rest of SG-1."

Weir looked as if she was about to say something, but before she could speak, Gail Emmaus entered the room and snapped off a salute at the three Colonels. "We're finished deploying the rail guns as you and Colonel Sheppard specified, Colonel Lyman."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Bobby replied. "Wait for us in the control center. We'll be there shortly."

Gail saluted once more. "Aye-aye, sir."

She turned to leave, until Rodney waved at her. "Gail! Hey, how's it going?"

"Hello, Dr. McKay," Gail said crisply, as she left the room.

"'Dr. McKay'?" Rodney said in disbelief. "We _know_ each other; we even had a thing! What the hell's her problem?"

"Yes, but did _she_ know that you had a thing?" Radek asked.

He quickly held up his hands as Rodney shot him a murderous look. The meeting then broke up, but Sam was halted in her steps when Rodney called her name.

"Look, I'd just like to explain that if I was a little bit harsh back there, it's because this situation is getting to me," Rodney said. "I lost a colleague on the Ancient satellite when the Wraith blew it up."

"I'm very sorry to hear that, Rodney," Sam said with sincere sympathy.

Rodney nodded. "Yes, thank you. I guess you can say that this whole situation is getting me very stressed out."

"You, stressed out?" Sheppard mockingly said, as he walked past them with Bobby. "_Really_, Rodney? Join the club!"

Rodney glared after him. "Oh, yeah, nice…_real_ nice…."

Sam just stood there, shaking her head, as she watched Rodney chase after Sheppard. Dr. Weir walked up and stood next to her as they both gazed in disbelief at the squabbling Rodney. "You know, if he wasn't so brilliant, I think I would have had him shot a long time ago…."

That made Sam bust up in laughter. Coming from anybody else, it was funny; but coming from Elizabeth Weir made it hysterical.

Once she stopped laughing, Weir turned to Sam and said, "I just wanted to say that I know your father was aboard the Promtheus, Colonel Carter, and that you have my sympathy. If there's anything you should need…to talk, or anything, just ask. Please."

"Thank you very much, Doctor. I appreciate that."

"Call me Elizabeth, please."

"Sam," she offered. They both started walking towards the control room.

"I have to say, Sam, that I'm really hoping that there's some way of saving this base, should things go wrong for us," Elizabeth said. "Losing the Ancient library would be a tragic loss for us all."

"I take it that the Ancient library is too big to copy and bring back home?"

"Yes." Elizabeth shook her head dismally. "I was told by Radek that we could bring back maybe eight percent; nine, if we push it. But how do you choose-?"

She stopped speaking when the lights all over Atlantis abruptly went out. Then they came back on again. After exchanging a wary look with each other, both women rushed to the control room, where they found a frantic Rodney trying to call someone over the links.

"What just happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"The main power is down," Sheppard replied. "The ZPM just died for no reason. We're back on normal power."

Elizabeth suddenly grew anxious. "But I thought that normal power wasn't enough to run the shields."

Sheppard stared bleakly at her. "The shields are down. We're completely exposed."

Once he heared this, Bobby turned to Gail and said, "Battle stations. All Marines prepare to repel boarders, now."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

"I don't understand," Rodney said, confused. "I'm not getting a response from _anybody_ down there! Are they all asleep?"

"I fear they may well be dead," Teyla said. "The shields dying this close to a major Wraith attack is too much to be a coincidence for me."

Elizabeth nodded. "I have to agree."

"Looks like I'll be taking a little trip to the basement to check the fuse box," Sheppard said with a weary sigh. "Anybody care to join me?"

"Why not?" Sam said, as she prepped her P90. "Got nothing better to do, anyway."

**SG-1: SVU**

Colonel Monroe brought them up on Shalio very carefully, making sure the Icarus came out of hyperspace directly behind the planet's only moon. Then she called for a scan for any devices that the Sons Of Darkness might have in the area. When none came up, she nodded, satisfied, at Mitchell. "You and your team have a go, Colonel."'

"Thank you, Colonel," Mitchell said, as he and Hailey both snapped off salutes to her.

As they walked toward their Teltac in the hanger bay, Vala leaned in to Teal'c and asked, "Do we have to do that, too?" She waved her hand in front of her face. "What they just did to Colonel Monroe?"

"No," the Jaffa replied. "We are exempt from saluting."

"Because we're not really a part of their military?"

Teal'c nodded. "That is correct, Vala Mal Doran."

"Must you pronounce my full name _all _the time, Muscles?"

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow at her. "Must you call me 'Muscles' all the time, Vala Mal Doran?"

"Touché!" Mitchell said, as they went on board the Teltac. "Warm her up for us, will ya, Sparky?"

"Rodger-Rodger," Hailey lightly replied in a silly mechanical voice, as she took a seat at a console and started the Teltac's engines.

"To-what?" Vala stared at Mitchell accusingly. "What did you just call me?"

"He's simply acknowledging that Teal'c had made a very good point before," Hailey told her. "About you always calling him Muscles."

Vala pointed at Mitchell, who took a seat at the pilot's console with Teal'c. "But he's calling _you_ Sparky! And now you've just called _him_ Rodger, twice!"

"I wasn't calling him that. I was just joking. Rodger-Rodger is what the Federation robots say in the Star Wars Prequel movies," Hailey replied. "Haven't you seen those yet?"

Vala burst into a smile. "Oh yes, I have! I actually like them better than the original Star Wars films! The prequel films are so much more enjoyable!"

When Teal'c suddenly turned in his seat to glare menacingly at Vala, Mitchell said, "Easy, big guy. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

"Indeed," Teal'c said with a nod as he turned back to his console.

As Mitchell and Teal'c piloted the Teltac out of the hanger bay, Mitchell glanced at Hailey. "All right, Sparky, cloak the sucker."

"Done," Hailey called, after she hit a switch. "We're fully cloaked."

"Can I ask a silly question?" Vala asked.

Mitchell wearily glanced up at her and said, "Don't suppose you'll keep it to yourself if I say no, right?"

"We arrived here in the Icarus, which is a pretty big battleship," Vala plowed on, ignoring Mitchell's last remark. "Not quite as impressive as a Star Destroyer, mind you, but the Icarus still gets the job done."

"Was there a question somewhere in there?" Mitchell asked, annoyed.

"So why are we going out in this little thingie of a ship?" she asked.

"Because this little thingie of a ship has a cloaking device," Hailey answered.

"We need to scout out the area before the Icky comes in shooting," Mitchell said. "That's where you come in, Vala. Where exactly is the base located?"

"Northen hemisphere," Vala said, as she stood behind them.

Mitchell glared at her. "That's the whole upper half of the planet. You mind being a little more specific?"

"When I last visited here, I wasn't the navigator, poochie," Vala said.

Mitchell gave her a double take. "Poochie?"

"I'm really enjoying this nickname stuff." Vala turned to Hailey and said, "Hey, if we had the Death Star with us, I'll bet we wouldn't have to worry about sneaking around. Just press one button and bam! Goodbye, Sons Of Darkness!"

"I found them, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c said, as he regarded the console. "There is a structure on the surface, the only one in the entire region."

"I confirm that," Hailey spoke up. She then read out the exact coordinates. "I'm also picking up a lot of telecommunications chatter between that position and high up in orbit around the planet. Looks like they have a satellite network set up to keep watch for unfriendly visitors."

"Like us," Vala said.

"And that, kids, is why we went in first with a cloaked ship," Mitchell said, as he flew the Teltac into the atmosphere. "All right, let's see what we can see."

The Shalio base of operations for the Sons Of Darkness turned out to be a low, squat bunker in the middle of the desert that was surrounded by a fleet of landed ships, which consisted of Alkesh and Teltac vessels. There was one large door on the bunker, and it was sealed shut.

"The actual base is underground," Vala said. She and Hailey stood behind the men at the main pilot's console. "That door on the bunker there is the only way in or out."

"They have it well arranged for a quick escape," Teal'c commented.

Mitchell nodded. "That they do. The satellites warn them of an approaching ship, and they just go bug out in their own little fleet, which is parked right outside the front door."

"Wouldn't the Icarus be able to shoot down any ships that tried to take off?" Vala asked.

"The satellites will be able to spot the Icarus well before she'll be able to get into position to fire," Hailey answered. "They'll have plenty of time to bug out. Like Teal'c said, this is a well arranged set up for a text book evac."

"Looks like everybody's inside right now," Mitchell said, as they hovered over the base. If only they could blast the base right now, with them all inside. But the Teltac didn't have the firepower to take out the entire base. But it did have the firepower to take out the small fleet of ships parked outside. "Ok, listen up. Here's the plan…."

**SG1-SVU**

Kronos was awakened from a deep and satisfying sleep where he dreamt of Earth having been reduced to nothing more than rubble, and its surviving citizens being forced into slavery under the new Netian Empire. The Netian Empire was under his command, of course; Kronos had slain the bitch-tyrant Neith and taken her place as the empire's proper ruler.

He awoke to the sight of his aide Tatch, who frantically informed Kronos that a Tauri battle cruiser had been spotted by the satellite network and it was on an attack vector towards them.

"Sound the alarm. Tell everyone to leave everything behind and make for the ships," he commanded Tatch. He quickly dressed and then rushed into the main corridor, which led directly to the bunker's main door.

Kronos was pleased to see that the gatekeepers had followed their training and already had the main door opened. It was just a matter of running to the ships outside, which should already be running, and then taking off before….

Kronos came to a dead halt when he saw the smoldering piles wreckage that used to be their fleet of ships. Then he glanced up and saw the hovering Teltac ship, which had just blown their space fleet to smithereens with the missle launchers it had on its sides. Kronos knew this was a Tauri vessel, for only they made this crass innovation to their Teltac ships.

The Teltac hovered just long enough for the group behind the main window to all wave cheerfully at Kronos and his fellow Sons Of Darkness, then it veered off just as his men began to open fire.

"The filthy scum would not remain behind and fight like proper warriors!" Tatch angrily said.

But Kronos ignored him and instead glanced directly above him at the sky. "Get everyone back inside, now!"

But it was too late, Kronos saw, for the skies above them began to glow ominously. The Tauri battle cruiser was now within firing range and had just launched its first volley.

"There was still so much left to do," Kronos said softly, as he watched as the white hot shells rapidly descend to the ground.

One of them landed right on top of his position, and Kronos was at least spared watching the last Sons Of Darkness stronghold being destroyed.

**SG-1: SVU**

Vala leaned against the back of Mitchell's chair. She and the rest of the team quietly watched as the Icarus' forward rail guns flattened the Shalio base before them. The bunker had been crushed, and now the lower levels had collapsed, creating a giant smoking crater in the desert sand where the Sons Of Darkness base once stood.

"That's for turning earth into a battlefield," Mitchell said softly. He then placed his hands on the controls and turned the ship into an upward arc, into the clouds and beyond. "Let's get going. Maybe we can get back to the SGC in time to give the folks in Atlantis a hand."

"Oh, Atlantis!" Vala said excitedly. "That sounds like fun! Can I come?"

Mitchell frowned at her. "You can, if you want to. But trust me, you won't want to, Vala."

"Atlantis is facing a major battle of its own right now," Hailey told her. "You might be better off just staying put at the SGC while we go on ahead."

"What, and miss all the fun?" Vala said with a wave of her hand. "No way! Besides, just how bad can things be at this Atlantis place, anyway?"

**SG-1: SVU**

"HERE THEY COME!" Chuck called in alarm.

"Dear God," Elizabeth Weir murmured in shock. She stood in the command and control room, just above the stargate, and watched in horror as the onslaught of darts appeared on the tactical screen before her. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of the single-man Wraith fighters, all hurtling themselves at Atlantis.

"How long before they hit?" Colonel Lyman asked.

"A minute," Radek replied, "maybe less."

Lyman keyed his radio. "Marines! Incoming hostiles, thirty seconds out. All Marines, all rail guns: weapons free and fire at will. I say again: weapons free and fire at will."

Elizabeth tapped the slender comm device that she wore on the side of her face. "John, any luck with the ZPM? The Wraith are almost right on top of us! John?"

The response she received was static, mixed with panicked voices. Yet before she could call his name again, Elizabeth heard John clearly say, "We found the problem with the ZPM. It was sabotaged."

"Sabotaged?" Elizabeth said, stunned. "By whom?"

"I'm willing to bet it's the same Wraith son of a bitch who's shooting at us right now," he replied, sounding frantic. "Can I get back to you?"

"Of course," Elizabeth said. Then she asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Shoot him!" came John's terse reply. "Talk to you later."

Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to tell him to be careful just then, but with the danger they were all presently facing, that seemed like a really silly thing to say.

She gazed gravely at Lyman, who nodded at her in understanding. The Marine knew that, as long as the ZPM was down, so were the city's shields. "We'll keep them off your backs, Dr. Weir," he promised.

Elizabeth flinched when the windows outside began to flash brightly. It was followed by sounds of explosions, as shot-down darts crashed into various sections of the city all around them.

"When the shields finally do go back up," Elizabeth said to Radek, "I just hope there's still a city left for them to protect!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Who is this guy?" Rodney asked, as they were all huddled behind a column, seeking cover from the sniper fire that just erupted from down the hall. "I mean, how'd a Wraith get past our security, anyway?"

"Dunno," Sheppard replied. Then he frowned in thought. "Unless he was the scout pilot…."

"But you shot him down," Rodney said. He was pressed up so tightly against the wall that Sam thought he would meld with it. "Remember?"

"Yes, Rodney, I remember blowing him out of the sky," Sheppard said, annoyed. Then he grew thoughtful. "But what if the pilot of the scout dart somehow beamed himself down to the city, just before his bird blew up?"

When Sam felt the entire hallway shudder from the blast of what sounded like something hitting the surface above them, she said, "Sounds like the attack has started out there. However he got here is beside the point, we've got to get rid of him, and quick."

"Yes, that would be wise," Teyla agreed. "A diversion?"

"Yeah, that's what I was figuring on," Sam said. She carefully peered around the side of the column. The Wraith was holed up in the power control section where the ZPM was located. He had blocked the doorway with cartons and boxes. Getting an idea, Sam glanced at Lt. Emmaus and the squad of Marines she'd brought with them. "Any of you guys have grenades?"

Gail just grinned broadly at her. "Oh, hell yeah, Colonel!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rodney said, waving his hand. "You set off a grenade in there, you'll blow away the control center for the city's power supply!"

"I wasn't planning on setting it off in there, Rodney," Sam explained. "I was planning on setting it off out in the hallway. I just want to make him duck long enough for us to get closer to him." She glanced at Sheppard. "But since you're the military commander here, Colonel Sheppard, it's up to you."

"Do it," Sheppard said with a nod. "The longer the shield stays down, the worse it'll only get for us. Oh, and Colonel Carter? Call me John."

Sam smiled at him. "The name's Sam. Lieutenant?" When Gail handed her a grenade, Sam said, "Soon as this goes off, we take cover behind the column on the other side of the corridor. It's closer to him; we might be able to take him down from there."

Gail glanced at a young Hispanic Marine. "You're the sniper, Alvarez. You got the job."

"Aye-aye, L-T."

"Can you get a clear shot at him from here?" John asked Alvarez.

After a quick glance, the Marine shook his head. "The boxes and crap he's got piled in the doorway is blocking my aim. Getting closer should guarantee a kill, sir."

"Ok, then, do it," John told Sam. He turned to Rodney and said, "You wait here until the smoke clears."

"Don't have to tell _me_ twice," Rodney muttered.

Sam pulled the pin on the grenade, then rolled it down the floor, where it curved away from the power control room doorway. As she and the others took cover behind the column, Sam hoped that the blast from the grenade might at least blow away some of the boxes that the Wraith had piled up in the doorway.

The grenade up went up a loud WHUMP, shattering all of the glass in the corridor.

"MOVE!" Sam called, as she got to her feet and ran diagonally across the corridor. Fortunately, the grenade blew up enough smoke for them to use as cover. Sam hit the column on the opposite side of the corridor, and Teyla was right beside her.

Sam glanced at Gail and Alvarez, who both led the Marine charge across the hall…then she let out a cry of horror as they, along with three others from their squad, all got shot down by the Wraith, who fired blindly through the smoke.

"NO!" Sam cried, as she instinctively went to help the prone Gail and the other Marines.

But Teyla stopped her. "The Wraith's weapon is a stun gun. They are not dead."

Sam flinched when the entire corridor trembled under another barrage from the battle outside, which now sounded like it was really going hot and heavy. "If we don't get this guy, and get the shields back up, we all might as well be dead," she grimly told Teyla.

**SG-1: SVU**

"The information that you require about defeating the Ori can be found at only one place," the hologram, a pretty woman, informed Daniel and Grace. "The Temple Of The Dove."

"Oh, come _on_!" Grace angrily said. "You've got to be _kidding_ me!"

Daniel hugged the agitated young woman with one arm. "Easy, Grace, take it easy." He gazed at the holographic figure, who stared impassively back at them. "Um, there's a problem. The Temple Of The Dove has been destroyed by the Ori."

When the hologram abruptly vanished, Grace just shook her head dismally. "Great! What now, another freaking power blackout?"

"There are people fighting and dying out there, Grace," Daniel somberly reminded her. "They lost power from the ZPM, but they're doing the best they can."

Grace just gave him a level gaze. "I know that, Daniel. And I feel for them, I do. But there's going to be far more fighting and dying a lot closer to home if we don't get this information!"

"Good point." He flinched when he heard an explosion from outside the corridor. Daniel suddenly grew panicked when he could no longer see Olivia and Lt. Ford. "Liv? Olivia? Where you?"

"Olivia Benson?" a man's voice asked. "Is she here?"

When a nervous Grace tapped Daniel hard on the shoulder, he glanced back to see Merlin now stood on the hologram platform. "Is Olivia Benson here?" Merlin urgently asked. "If so, I must speak with her."

"Uh, yeah, um…hold on, I'll see if she's free," Daniel said, as he ran over to the doorway. He was pleased to see that both Olivia and Ford were still there, but they were both now firing wildly down the corridor as they ducked for cover inside the holograph room.

When Daniel peered outside, Olivia screamed, "DANIEL, DON'T! YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW WHAT'S COMING AFTER US!"

Daniel's eyes grew wide behind his glasses when he caught a glimpse of what looked like an entire squad of Wraith warriors who charged down the corridor. They were being led by a smaller Wraith, who grined evilly at Daniel as he raised his gun directly at him.

The door slammed shut just then. Ford had closed it. They all stood there, breathing heavily, until Olivia saw Merlin on the hologram platform. "Hey," she said, "what's he doing here?"

"Olivia Benson," Merlin said, with the disappointed tone of a stern school teacher, "why have you not gone to the Temple Of The Dove?"

"Is the hologram supposed to be doing this?" a dumbfounded Grace asked.

"Oh, wow," Olivia said, taken aback, "this situation is really getting to be a little too much for me…."

When the ferocious pounding began against the other side of the door, Daniel chuckled humorlessly and said, "Yeah, well…guess what, sweetie-pie? The situation's only getting a lot worse!"

**To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

_My thanks to apocalyps24 for his review. And yeah, what did happen to the Asgard? Good question. :) _

_I'd also like to thank those of you who favored either me or this story._

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Eleven**

Merlin glared at Olivia. "Why have you not done what I have asked? The Ori are close to finishing the super gate."

"The Ori destroyed the Temple Of The Dove," Olivia replied. She gave him a helpless shrug. "The place was flattened, we were unable to even go inside. Look, I tried warning everybody, I really did! Please don't zap me, or anything."

Daniel grabbed her arm and pulled Olivia close to him. He stared suspiciously at the image of Merlin that stood on the holographic platform before them. "Don't worry, he's not going to zap you, Liv."

"I've never seen this kind of interaction with a holographic figure before," Grace noted.

"That's because I don't think we're dealing with a holographic figure," Daniel said. "This is the real Merlin."

"No, it's Moros," Lt. Ford said, as he stared at Merlin with surprise.

"Who?" Olivia asked.

"Moros, he was the high councilor here on Atlantis, shortly before the Ancients abandoned the city," Ford explained. "But Moros didn't have the beard and the pointy hat, though."

"No, he didn't," Daniel said, as he gazed thoughtfully at Merlin. "At least not until after you escaped through the stargate to Earth, where you _became_ Merlin, right? An Ancient with your knowledge and technology would have seemed like a magician, a sorcerer, back in those days."

"The story is more complex than that. But, my intentions were good," Merlin said, his voice heavy with despair, "and yet all my plans have still come to naught."

"Hey, we're trying the best we can," Olivia said. "But the odds have been stacked against us pretty heavily lately. You hear the pounding on the door? That's the Wraith, trying to get in."

"You really want to help us?" Daniel asked. "Well, you're here, now. So tell us what we need to know."

"I am forbidden to do so, Daniel Jackson," Merlin said. "It was forbidden for me to help you as much as I have already."

"Forbidden by whom?" Grace skeptically asked. "King Arthur?"

But Merlin no longer appeared to be listening to them. "I thought it would be enough to provide some assistance here and there. But Merlin was right, the Ori were just too powerful," he said, smiling bitterly. "He was right all along, and yet the fools refused to see it…."

Daniel exchanged a confused look with Grace. Yet before he could point out what Merlin had said, Ford mentioned it first.

"Anybody notice he's now talking about himself in the third person?" Ford asked.

"That's because he's not really Merlin," Daniel said. He glared at the figure on the platform. "You want to drop the act and tell us who you really are?"

There was a brief flash of light; after which Merlin was transformed into a beautiful woman with dark hair. She stood before them in a shimmering dress. "You're right, Dr. Jackson. I am not Merlin. I was originally sent after Merlin, to stop him, because the others feared he would destroy everything." She smiled wanly. "Little did the fools know that _they_ were the ones who would destroy everything instead, for the Ori were very much the major threat that Merlin had warned us about. And yet still they would not listen…."

"Who?" Daniel asked. "Who wouldn't listen?"

"The people whom you refer to as the Ancients," she replied. "The Lanteans, the builders of this city, and many others just like it."

"The builders of the stargate," Grace said with quiet awe. "We thought you were long dead."

The woman nodded. "Yes, in a manner of speaking, our race did die, Grace Satterfield. At least our mortal bodies, the mere shell which contains our essence, were cast aside, so that our life force, our bare souls, could evolve into the next stage of existence. We ascended."

"These Lanteans, are they here?" Olivia asked. "Do they still reside in Atlantis?"

The woman shook her head. "We reside here, and everywhere, Olivia Benson. It's a concept that's hard to explain to one with such a limited view of time and space such as yourselves."

"Oh, well, excuse me!" Olivia said curtly.

"Try explaining this," Daniel said. "Who, or what, are the Ori?"

When she hesitated, Daniel just shook his head. "Hey, come on! We've all come so far, now," he prodded. "And if you really did care about this rule of no interference, then you wouldn't be standing here, talking to us right now, would you?"

That seemed to do it. The woman just nodded and said, "The Ori were a part of us, Daniel Jackson. They were Lanteans who had also ascended. But, unlike the rest of us, the Ori remained behind to take advantage of their god-like powers to pursue their greed and avarice. They've build an intergalactic armed camp that has enslaved billions upon billions of people. After thousands of years of vicious rule within their home galaxy, their bloated and corrupt empire now seeks new ground to conquer."

"Us," Grace said. "The Milky Way."

"So the Ori are breaking your rule of no interference," Daniel said. "Why not stop them?"

"We can not," she replied. "For, to do so would mean we would be breaking our own rule."

Olivia just shook her head in disgust. "You let these bastards run roughshod over an entire _galaxy_ and do nothing about it? You're not much better than the Ori!"

"I assure you that not all of us feel this way," she said. "Merlin, for one, spoke out against what the Ori were doing."

"And you," Daniel added.

"Not at first." The woman cast her eyes downward. "When Merlin created his weapon to use against the Ori, I originally was tasked by the others to hunt down Merlin and stop him. Although I destroyed the weapon, Merlin managed to convince me that his cause was right. When I visited the Ori galaxy, at Merlin's urging, I saw the horrors for myself and immediately allied myself with him."

"Who are you?" Daniel asked. From what he'd gathered so far, he had a hunch as to who she might be, but he wanted to hear her say it. "What's your name?"

"Your history already knows me, Daniel Jackson," she replied. "My name is Morgan Le Faye."

"Merlin's greatest archrival," Daniel said. "But, once again, history got the facts wrong."

"What you seek is the Sangraal," Morgan said. "Merlin's weapon, which he designed, can destroy the Ori once and for all. The name of the following planets are very important: Castiana, Sahal, and Vagonbrei. The gate address for the planet that has the Sangraal are contained within the addresses of those three planets. Unlocking the puzzle will lead you to the Sangraal."

"Or you could just tell us where the planet is right now," Olivia said. "I mean, why not? Right?"

"You've told us this much," Grace prompted, "might as well go all the way."

Morgan appeared to think it over for a moment. Then she nodded. "You have a point. I will tell you where the…."

Right at that moment, Morgan Le Faye let out a horrified scream, as it appeared she was pulled backwards by an unseen force into nothingness.

"Whoa!" Ford said, alarmed. "What the hell did we just see?"

"The Ancients stopping Morgan from interfering with us lowly humans," Daniel said with a heavy sigh. "Leaving us stuck with yet another wild goose chase."

"Oh, my God, Daniel," Olivia said, as she stared at the empty space where Morgan once stood. "Do you think they killed her?"

"Hard to say," Daniel replied. He glanced at the sound of the pounding on the doors, which became more intense. "But it certainly sounds like the Wraith out there want to kill us."

"How strong are those doors?" Grace asked Ford.

"They'll hold them for a while…as long as the Wraith don't try to cut through with their weapons."

They were all startled by the appearance of a sparkling fuse that abruptly burst through the metal of one door.

"You mean like that?" a nervous Olivia asked.

"Yeah, just like that," Ford dismally muttered, as he readied his P90. "Looks like we're gonna have some company soon."

"I take it that's the only way out?" Daniel asked.

"You're looking at it, yeah," Ford confirmed. He stood at the ready, with his gun aimed at the sparkling door.

Olivia pointed at the holographic platform. "Any way this thing can beam us out of here?"

Ford just stared at her incredulously. "This isn't Star Trek, lady!"

"She's just asking a question, ok?" Grace snapped at him. "Back off!"

"Ok, everybody just keep calm. Let's see if we can invite a few of our friends to this party, shall we?" Daniel said, as he keyed his radio. "Sam, this is Daniel. Sam, come in. You there, Sam?"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Damn it," John Sheppard muttered in annoyance. He had tried to glance out from behind the column where he and Rodney were hiding, just as the Wraith sniper opened fire on his position. The energy bolt just barely hit his head as he ducked back behind the column for cover in the nick of time.

He glanced across the corridor at Teyla and Sam, who were helplessly huddled behind another column. Lying on the floor between them were most of the Marines who had accompanied them down here. Thankfully, the Wraith bastard was using a stun gun, and so Lt. Emmaus and her Marines were only knocked out.

Sheppard grimaced as the city violently rumbled once more as a result of another blast from the battle outside. The lights even flickered momentarily. Every time he felt the city tremble from the full-scale Wraith attack, Sheppard wanted nothing more then to just charge this Wraith bastard with guns blazing. The city was being plummeted largely of this one saboteur, and Sheppard was quickly growing tired of their fates being held hostage by this Wraith.

'But how can we get the drop on him?' Sheppard desperately wondered. 'There's no way to outflank him.'

When he glanced at the grenades on the remaining Marine who was huddled with him and Rodney, Sheppard got an idea. "What's your name, kid?"

"Henderson," the Marine said. He was probably about twenty, but to Sheppard, he looked like he was twelve.

"Give me your grenades, Henderson," Sheppard said. "All three."

When Henderson did as ordered, Sheppard took the grenades and carefully placed them in a row on the floor.

Rodney stared at him with horror. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna blow the living daylights out of this Wraith son of a bitch," Sheppard replied.

Rodney's eyes grew comically wide at that. "Did you not listen to what I said before? He's in the control room for…."

"….for the city's power," Sheppard completed the sentence for him. "Yes, Rodney, I know full well what it is."

"And you're gonna blow it to hell with grenades?" Rodney shouted with disbelief.

"The Wraith may have already caused substantial damage, anyway," Teyla called from across the hallway in a whisper.

"And, Rodney, you might want to speak a little louder," Sam added, also sotto voce, "because I don't think the Wraith heard you that time."

"Oh…hah-hah," Rodney said with sarcasm.

Sheppard chuckled as he pulled the pin on one of the grenades. He held the handle down so it wouldn't explode prematurely. Then he glanced at Rodney, Henderson, and then at the women across the hall and whispered, "Nobody move, nobody do anything, no matter what happens. I'm gonna try and flush him out. Fire in the hole…."

Sam and Teyla huddled protectively together behind their column, while Rodney and Henderson did the same directly behind Sheppard. The Marines lying on the floor in-between them should be protected from the blast. If nothing else, they lay face down, with their helmets facing the explosion.

'Lt. Emmaus, if you still wake up with a headache from this, I'll make it up to you,' Sheppard thought. 'I'll buy you a nice big bottle of aspirin.'

Sheppard tossed the grenade down the hall, then took cover himself. The explosion that resulted was followed by the Wraith shooting a barrage from his energy weapon through the smoke and haze. It was just as Sheppard had figured, the Wraith had fallen into a pattern, by opening fire just after the grenade explosion.

"Time to shake things up a bit," Sheppard muttered, as he picked up the last two grenades. He glanced at Rodney and Henderson. "You two stay put. Don't move until I say so."

"Where're you going?" Rodney asked with dismay.

Sheppard abruptly ran across the corridor, and he was two thirds across when the Wraith suddenly started shooting in a panic. But by the time the Wraith had drawn a bead on his previous position, Sheppard was already safely behind the column on the opposite side, having been pulled to safety by both Sam and Teyla.

"Wow, that was an incredibly silly thing to do," Sam said with a grin. "Brave, but silly."

"I know, right?" Sheppard agreed, as he sought to catch his breath.

"John, are you all right?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah, I think I need to take up jogging," he replied, as he pulled the pin on the second grenade. "But other than that, I'm good. He's developed a firing routine here, the Wraith…."

Sam nodded in understanding. "And you're trying to break it up."

"You've seen this before?" Teyla asked Sam.

Sam just smiled at her broadly. "Throwing your opponent off guard by confusing him as much as you can? Are you kidding? General O'Neill practically invented this tactic."

"Knowing the tactic's pedigree, it should work very well," Sheppard said, as he tossed the second grenade around the side of the column they were behind. Since he was closer, the explosion this time was hellacious. Between the battering the city was getting from the Wraith attack outside, and the constant explosions in here, Sheppard was frankly surprised that the place hadn't sunk yet.

The Wraith had started firing once more once the smoke cleared, just as Sheppard suspected. He pulled the pin from the third grenade. Sheppard stepped out into the line of fire, and tossed the remaining grenade right into the doorway of the power control room, where it landed at the Wraith's feet.

Sheppard saw the bastard actually start to take cover, just like he did the previous two times, but the grenade was just too close. When it went up, it blew away the make-shift wall that the Wraith had built, and Sheppard used that as his cue to charge the power control room, his P90 at the ready.

He glanced over and saw Sam was running in step with him. "What're you doing?" he asked.

"Covering you," she replied coolly.

"And I am covering her," Teyla said, as she came up from behind them both.

There was a haze of smoke in the doorway. Rather than take chances, both Sheppard and Sam let loose with a volley of P90 fire. After they sprayed the open doorway with bullets, they both gingerly strode inside.

"Oh, great…just great," Sheppard heard Rodney moan behind him. "Why don't you just _nuke_ the place while you're at it?"

"Found an arm," Sam said. "Ick!"

"Yeah, so did I," Sheppard replied. The fact that they stood about five feet apart while they both found the Wraith's arms didn't bode too well for the Wraith.

Sure enough, when the smoke finally cleared, they found the Wraith. Or what was left of him. The third grenade that Sheppard threw had ripped him to shreds. There were also several other bodies lying on the floor. They were three men, Atlantis personnel who were working in the room when the Wraith attacked. Unfortunately, they had all been savagely killed by the Wraith with a knife.

"Oh, gross!" Rodney said, waving his hands in disgust at the Wraith's remains as he pushed past Sheppard and Sam.

Henderson waited by the door; Sheppard ordered him to stay by his unconscious comrades in the corridor and call for a med team.

"Wonderful, just wonderful," Rodney said, as he inspected the ZPM.

"What?" Sam asked, "It's damaged?"

"No, it's fine." Rodney pointed at the ZPM power console, which was smoking from one of its sockets. "But _that's_ damaged!"

Sam gazed at the console, which had three ZPM-sized sockets. "Why not plug it in one of the undamaged ones?" she suggested.

"Because it always sits right here!" Rodney gestured at the damaged socket. He put the ZPM into the socket and nothing happened. "See, you guys damaged it!"

"But there are two other sockets," Sam patiently tried to explain. "Judging from this console, the city was designed to run on three of these. So it shouldn't make a difference what-"

But Rodney just ignored her. "Now I'm gonna have to try and fix this thing while we have Wraith buzzing all over us like a pack of angry hornets! Great, just great!"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Sheppard muttered, as he pulled the ZPM out of the damaged socket and stuck it into one of the undamaged ones.

Once he did that, the ZPM lit up within the socket, and they all felt some sort of pulse emit from the console. There was a deep rumble from within the city, but it wasn't from an explosion. It was the welcome sound of machinery coming to life.

"Oh," a humbled Rodney said. "Ok, then."

Sam and Teyla just exchanged a weary look.

Sheppard tapped his comm unit and said, "Elizabeth, we got the Wraith saboteur and restored the ZPM power. How're the shields looking?"

"Just great, John," she said, her voice sounding immensely relieved. "They're back up, and just in the nick of time, I might add. The Hive ships just launched a second wave of fighters."

"We'll be right up," Sheppard said, as he switched off. Something Elizabeth had said made him remember something; something very disturbing.

'The Hive ships are still up there,' Sheppard thought, troubled. 'All we've really done here is to buy ourselves some more time…but for what? They now know we're here. Even if we manage to blow away these two Wraith ships, more will just take their place. It's the same damn siege situation that the Ancients faced…and lost.'

"What?" Rodney abruptly said to Sam. "Huh?"

"Rodney," Teyla chided. "Now is not the time."

"Yes, she's right," Sam said. "Let's just forget it…."

Rodney shook his head. "No, you got something to say, Sam, just say it!"

Sam just threw her hands up. "All right, fine! I couldn't believe how dense you were just now."

"Dense?" Rodney said, outraged. "Me?"

"Yeah! I mean, the answer was so simple!" Sam gestured at the console. "And it was right here, right under your nose, but it might as well have been hiding in plain sight."

"Hiding in plain sight," Sheppard said, as a revelation hit him just then. "Of course, that's it!"

"What?" Rodney stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I think just figured out a way to keep the Wraith off of our backs for good," Sheppard said. He glanced at Sam. "And I have _you_ to thank for the inspiration. Come on, I'll explain outside, while we wait for the med team to get here for the Marines."

"Wait, how come you're never inspired by anything _I_ say?" Rodney petulantly asked.

"Oh, for…." Sam started to say, with a glare at Rodney. She turned to Sheppard and asked, "Hey, how about we just shoot him, and say the Wraith got him?"

"Don't tempt me," Sheppard told her, as they walked back outside.

Teyla burst into giggles at this exchange, which she tried to politely hide by covering her mouth.

"Nice," Rodney said with disgust, "real nice…."

Sam's radio suddenly squawked, and then a desperate-sounding Daniel Jackson could be heard: "Sam, this is Daniel. Sam, come in. You there, Sam?"

**SG1: SVU**

When Mitchell stepped through the event horizon and onto the main stargate platform of Atlantis, he wasn't sure what he would be expecting. So he had entered the gate holding his P90 at the ready. Teal'c was beside him, effortlessly holding an M60 machine gun like it was an Uzi. General O'Neill was on his other side, fully dressed in combat gear. Hailey brought up the rear with Vala, who had insisted on coming along.

"All for one, and one for all," Vala had earlier told Mitchell in a burst of enthusiasm. When Mitchell asked if she had seen the Three Musketeers, she just grinned broadly and said, "Oh, I _love_ that candy bar!"

But rather than be amused by her innocent mix up, Mitchell just shook his head in annoyance. He could have ordered Vala to stay behind; hell, he could have just had her placed under arrest. But Vala had been making a sincere effort to help them any way she could, and treating her like a prisoner wouldn't have been very fair to her.

'Just hope that Vala knows enough to keep her damn head down,' Mitchell thought, as they strode up to the Marine staff sergeant who stood waiting for them and exchanged salutes.

Yet before Mitchell could even say anything, he and O'Neill were tackled from behind by Vala, who shouted, "GET DOWN!"

Mitchell was stunned to see an energy pulse shoot by right where they had been standing. It struck the wall behind them with an explosion. There was a Wraith warrior who stood just on the edge of the platform, aiming a weapon at them.

Teal'c mowed him down with his M60. But when a second Wraith warrior popped out from behind a doorway, Vala pulled the Zat from Mitchell's holster and expertly shot the Wraith down before he could even fire.

Mitchell glanced up at Vala with renewed respect. "Damn, woman! Good shooting!"

"I fired these a lot back on Mount Tanis…or, at least Qetesh did," Vala said, as she held up the Zat.

The Staff Sergeant promptly walked over to the Wraith that Vala shot and blew his head apart with a burst from his machine gun. Then he turned to his men and shouted, "Where'd these ugly bastards come from?"

"From down this corridor, Staff Sergeant!" one of his Marines answered.

"THEN GET DOWN THERE AND KILL ANYTHING THAT'S NOT HUMAN! MOVE YOUR SORRY ASSES, NOW!" the Staff Sergeant commanded. As a squad of Marines double-timed it down the corridor, the Staff Sergeant came over to Mitchell and O'Neill, who were being helped up to their feet by the others. "Sweet Jesus in heaven, I am so sorry about this, sirs! Are you all right, General?"

"We're fine," O'Neill assured him. He glanced back at Vala in gratitude. "Thanks to her."

When Colonel Lyman strode up to them. O'Neill asked, "Sitrep, Colonel?"

"We've got the shields back up, and we shot down all of the remaining Wraith darts, but they've managed to beam down boarding parties," Lyman reported. "Apparently, the transporters aboard the darts, which can abduct people from the surface of a planet, can also land small squads of troops. We're secure from further assaults by the two Hive ships, thanks to the shields, but we're still busy mopping up the city of the intruders."

"Let's get up to the command center," O'Neill said.

"Aye-aye, sir," Lyman said. "This way."

"Oh, wait, I forgot," Vala said, just before they started up the steps. She handed Mitchell the Zat. "Here you go…."

Mitchell just shook his head. "Keep it."

She gave him a surprised look. "Really?"

Mitchell nodded as he removed the Zat holster from his leg and handed it to her. "You earned it."

They found Weir in the control center, busy keeping herself appraised of the mop-up operations going on throughout her city. She gave a little startled yelp when she saw O'Neill was standing there, watching her. "General! They didn't tell me you were coming along!"

"It's never a good idea to announce the presence of a commanding officer during combat operations, Doctor," O'Neil said, as he removed his helmet. "It just gives the enemy another tempting target, should they be listening in. I'm not here to take over from anybody. I just need to speak with Colonel Carter. It's urgent."

"She and Colonel Sheppard are kind of busy right now, sir," Weir replied. "They just asked for back up to meet them in the corridor outside the holographic room."

**SG-1: SVU**

When she received the message from Daniel, the med team, along with a group of Marines, had finally arrived to tend to the wounded and secure the power control room. Leaving Teyla and Rodney behind with the others, Sam commandeered three of the Marines from the squad, taking them with her and Sheppard as they all ran full-tilt towards the holographic room. Sure enough, once they peered around the corner, they saw the Wraith assault team trying to burn their way through to the door.

"What do you think?" Sam asked John in a whisper. "Grenades?"

He shook his head. "Too much delicate stuff up here."

"Catch 'em in a crossfire?" Sam further suggested.

He nodded. "Yeah. But it's gonna take some time for us to-"

"Mitchell to Carter," Sam's radio abruptly said. "Come in. Over."

Sam keyed her radio with surprise. "Cam? You're here? Over."

"In the flesh, with Teal'c, Hailey and Vala," he replied. "We got word that you needed back up outside of the holographic room. We're on the west end of the corridor right now. Over."

"They're at the opposite end of us," John told her. "They can work the crossfire with us."

Sam leaned up against the open doorway and peered down the hall, past the Wraith. She could see Cam staring back at her, also pressed up against the wall. He gave her a little wave.

Sam was tempted to ask what happened with the Sons Of Darkness, but decided to shelve that idea for now. "Cam, we're about to engage the Wraith in a crossfire. You mind drawing their fire? Over."

"You got it, Sam. Just say when. Over."

After a nod of confirmation from John, Sam said, "Light them up whenever you're ready. We'll come in right after you. Over."

"Got it. Mitchell out."

Sam saw Cam and Teal'c dive across the doorway, so that they could take up positions on the opposite side from Hailey and Vala, who aimed their weapons at the Wraith.

When Cam's team opened fire, the Wraith ceased trying to break through the door to turn their attention on this new threat.

"Ready?" John said. "Let's hit them."

When Sam, John and the Marines came out shooting, Sam smiled when she saw they had literally blindsided the Wraith. Between the crossfire coming in from both sides, now, the Wraith were quickly wiped out. Once the corridor was clear, Sam keyed her radio. "Daniel, come in. Over."

"Yeah, Sam, where are you?" he asked. "Um, over."

"Right outside the door," she replied. "It's all clear. Over."

The doors to the holographic room opened, and the young black Lieutenant let out a sigh of relief when he saw Sheppard. "Damn, Colonel, it's good to see you!"

"Same here, Aiden," John replied. "You guys have fun in there?"

Aiden gave him a wary look. "After all the scary stuff I've been listening to in here, I think I'd rather have been out fighting with you!"

When Daniel, Grace and Liv appeared, Sam was pleased to see that they were all right. "Did you guys find what you needed?"

"Merlin actually built an anti-Ori weapon," Daniel said. "But to find it means we have to go on another damn quest!"

"I'm telling you, Daniel," Grace said, "if we get started now, maybe we can find it before…."

But she stopped when Daniel just shook his head. "As much as I'd love to get started on this, Grace, we're simply running out of time."

"Where do you have to go?" Sam asked.

"We have to solve a frigging puzzle, first," Olivia said, looking annoyed. "The gate address of the planet that has the Ori weapon on it must somehow be deciphered from the names of three other planets."

Grace held up a digital recorder. "I got the whole conversation recorded."

But Sam saw Daniel's point. The Ori super gate would be pretty close to be finished by now, if it hadn't been completed already. "Let's see what the General has to say about this once we get back to the SGC."

"He's here, Sam," Cam told her. He suddenly looked uneasy. "In fact, there's something prety important that he needs to talk to you about."

"Why? What happened?" Sam warily asked. "Did something go wrong with your mission?"

"No, in fact, I'm pleased to announce that we caught the Sons Of Darkness cold," Cam replied. "And we eliminated them."

"We destroyed their fleet of ships on the ground before they could use them to escape, and the Icarus blasted the base itself," Teal'c spoke up. "The Sons Of Darkness are no longer a threat, Colonel Carter."

"That's great news. Good work, guys." Sam saw the sad looks that both Hailey and Vala gave her, and she felt her heart break with sorrow. Deep down, she just knew it was news about her father…bad news. As they all left for the Atlantis control center, she steeled herself for the conversation with Jack that was to come.

"Oh, wow, look at that!" Hailey cried.

They had walked past an open patio on Atlantis that was exposed to the open sky, and Sam glanced up to see what looked like the most massive fireworks display ever. But she knew better. The pretty, multi-colored flashing lights that flickered all over the sky were actually laser fire from the two Wraith Hive ships that were still in orbit. The city's shields kept them at bay, for now.

"After going through all this," Ford said, "only to have to still evac the place after all. That sucks…."

"Maybe not," Sheppard spoke up. "I've got an idea…."

They reached the control room, only to be told that General O'Neill and Dr. Weir were in her office across the way. As Sam walked across the catwalk, she saw Jack standing in the office, talking to Weir, Rodney, Teyla and Carson Beckett, the base's chief medical officer. As Jack spoke, they all had looks of horror and despair on their faces. Then Weir saw Sam was coming over, and her look of horror had changed to one of sadness when she gazed directly at Sam.

That made Sam stop in the middle of the catwalk. A silly part of her figured that, if she stayed here, then she wouldn't be hurt by whatever Jack was going to tell her. But then someone firmly took her hand in theirs. When Sam glanced over, she saw it was Olivia, who gave her a brave smile.

"It's about my dad," Sam meekly whispered, "I just know it is."

"Let's go find out," Olivia said in a firm but comforting tone. "C'mon, Sam…."

Jack met them at the door to Weir's office. "You mind, Liv?" he asked. "I need to speak to Sam alone."

"Sure, thing, Jack," she said. Turning to Sam, she added, "I'll be right inside here."

"Is he…? Is he….?" Sam just couldn't bring herself to say the word.

As they walked further out on the catwalk for more privacy, Jack gently grabbed her shoulder, and began massaging her with his fingers, which felt so damn good. "He's alive," Jack said. "But he's not well. He's far from being well. Fraiser seems to think that the Ori have possessed him with some kind of an energy being, sort of like how the Goa'uld possess humans."

"But how is he?" she asked.

"Not himself," he replied. "For all intents and purposes, Sam, your dad is an Ori. He's sprouting the Ori party line, telling us that we should just convert to their side. You'll see soon enough. I'm taking you home with me, now. Mitchell can run SG-1, while they aid in the evacuation of Atlantis."

That momentarily startled Sam out of her misery. "Evac? Really? But the shields are back up."

"But they won't last, Sam. According to McKay, they have a couple of days, at best. Not to mention the fact that the Wraith now know the location of Atlantis. They'll be sending more ships soon. Atlantis is a lost cause."

Cam abruptly appeared in the doorway of Weir's office. "Sorry to disturb you guys," he said. "But Colonel Sheppard's got an idea here, and it sounds pretty damn good."

Jack and Sam went into Weir's office and listened while Sheppard outlined a plan to trick the Wraith into thinking Atlantis had blown itself up by using one of the nukes that SG-1 had brought with them. Actually, it was Jack who listened, because Sam was so preoccupied with concern for her father that she didn't even know Olivia was holding her hand until she gave it a gentle squeeze.

When Sheppard was finished outlining his plan, Jack just nodded and said, "It's a crazy, downright insane plan…and because of that fact, it actually stands a good chance of succeeding. I like it!"

"Well, _you_ would," Rodney muttered from the back of the room.

"Excuse me, Dr. McKay?" Jack sharply asked. "What was that?"

"Uh, I, um, nothing…General…sir," Rodney quickly said.

Jack glanced at Elizabeth and said, "What do you think?"

"The way I see it, General, it's either try this idea, or evacuate Atlantis," Elizabeth said. "And I have no intention on giving up on Atlantis just yet!"

"Then you have a go," Jack said to Sheppard. "Use the nukes, and whatever else you need. Colonel Mitchell, you've got command of SG-1 for the time being. Aid the Atlantis folks with whatever they need."

Cam nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Colonel Lyman, since the battle is by and large over, we should also see about evacuating your Marines back to the SGC," Jack said. "They'll need to rest up for what I have planned next. So will you."

"May I ask what's in store next, General?" Lyman asked.

"We're assaulting the Ori stronghold on Tryo," Jack said. "Jacob confirmed that they're holding our people prisoner. As you well know, at the SGC, we leave no one behind. To that end, the name of the operation will be 'Bring Them Home'."

"Aye-aye, sir!" Lyman said, as he snapped off a salute with renewed rigor.

As the Marine commander left to make preparations, Daniel, who sat with Sam, Liv and Grace in a corner of Weir's office, held up his hand and said, "Um, we're assaulting Tyro? Really?"

"Yes, Daniel," Jack said. "And Her Lord Empress Neith shall provide cover."

Daniel looked even further amazed at that. "You've managed to work out a deal with Neith?"

"I never said that," Jack said. When Daniel just gave him a confused look, Jack just said, "It's complicated, Daniel. Speaking of which, Dr. Weir, would you mind spinning up the gate for us? We should be getting back."

"Certainly."

"I'm coming back, too," Olivia said, as she got up with Sam. "That is, if you want me to, Sam."

"Yes, thanks," she said with a smile. "I was about to ask you to, anyway."

"Grace and I will stay here and work the Ancient library," Daniel said. "Hopefully we can find out a little more than what Morgan told us."

They descended the steps to the stargate platform below. Sam bid farewell, for the time being, to Vala, Teal'c, Jennifer, Grace, Daniel and Cam, who were remaining behind to help with Sheppard's plan.

"Thanks for all your help, Sam," John said as he shook her hand. "And, best of luck with your father. Hope it goes well."

"Yes, thank you so much," Elizabeth echoed, as she gave Sam a hug. "We'll keep your father in our thoughts and prayers."

Inwardly, Sam nearly started crying at their heartfelt feelings, but she kept up her military reserve and nodded her sincere thanks. It was nice to have new friends here at Atlantis. She hoped they would be able to get rid of the Wraith for good.

When she returned to the SGC, it was with a sense of dread. Janet stood at the bottom of the stargate ramp, waiting for her with a concerned expression on her face. "Keep in mind that it's not really your father that you'll be speaking with," Janet told her as they walked down the hallway. "It's some sort of being…."

"It's like the Goa'uld," Jack said. "I told her that before."

Sam noted with horror that they were speaking to her as if she were the distraught relative of someone who had died, and that she was now going to view the body. The sense of dread within her was so great that Sam's feet felt like lead weights.

Olivia seemed to have noticed her feelings, for she abruptly stopped walking and said, "Do you have Jacob on closed circuit TV? Or maybe recorded a video of him? I was just thinking it might be better for Sam to see this first, before confronting him in person."

"She won't be face to face with him," Jack said. "He'll be behind glass, in a quarantined room."

"No, I understand what you mean," Janet quickly said, with a knowing nod at Olivia. "Come this way."

She led them to a private office suite, where nurses monitored Jacob through a live feed that was fed through cameras in his room. Janet shooed the nursing staff out of the door. Then, when they were alone, she gestured at the largest of the screens. "There he is."

Sam stared long and hard at her father, who sat serenely on the bed, looking as if he was meditating. That alone was strange, for he never did any such thing. And the weird robes he wore gave him an odd hippie look. But there was nothing about him that was really out of the ordinary.

And then he opened his eyes.

Sam was struck by shock and a sense of distress so deep she thought she would be overwhelmed. His eyes…her father's eyes, which often gazed at her with such love and respect, were now glowing red pits that looked inward on a hellishly wicked soul.

Sam, aghast, jumped back from the screen in horror. And in this terrible instant, she understood why Olivia didn't want her to see her father live, in person. For as she began to cry with tears of deep despair, Sam realized that Olivia had spared her from doing this right in front of the thing that had possessed her dad.

Her eyes flooded with tears, Sam blindly found Jack's arms and she embraced him tightly. He didn't say anything, he just firmly held her as Sam bawled like a little girl against his shoulder.

"Oh, daddy," Sam said with anguish, her voice a bare whisper, "what have they done to you…?"

**To Be Continued...**


	12. Chapter 12

_My thanks to apocalyps24 and lovesfemslash for their reviews. I've decided to deviate from the Ori Prior idea, as you will see in this chapter. _

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Twelve**

"What did you do to me?" the pregnant woman screamed. "Oh, my God, what did you do to me?"

The brood mare, whose name was Tamara Johansson, glared directly at him while she said that. The body that he inhabited was that of a Colonel Everett Young, her lover, as well as her commanding officer. Leafing through the memories of Young, he noted that there was a great deal of anguish between them concerning their affair. Young was married to another woman, and because of this, they were on the verge of breaking it off.

'Humans can be so melodramatic,' Aral thought, as he smiled down at the woman. He grabbed her bare foot and gave it an affectionate squeeze. Then he grinned when he saw that, despite her ankle was tied to the edge of the bed, she had still managed to wrest her foot out of his grasp.

"Nuh-no! No!" she said. In spite of the fact that she lay helplessly bound before him, she still defiantly shook her head. "Y-you touch me again a-and I'll kill you! You hear me? I'll kill you!"

Aral, who once served as the commander of Lantean warriors many centuries ago, back when he was still human, had to admire her fighting spirit. 'This was a good union,' he realized. 'Both parents are strong fighters; the child will be that much more fierce on the battlefield.'

"There is no further need to touch you, Tamara," he said, as he gently rubbed his hand up the side of her face. "At least, not how I had 'touched' you earlier. I am pleased to report that the baby is almost due now."

Tamara peered down at her swollen stomach with a look of horror. She was now clad in a fine silken robe, as befitting the mother of such a precious child. And yet her stomach was so large that it still bulged mightily against the fabric, which was pleated, so it would give way to her ever-growing pregnancy.

"Oh, my God, what did you do to me?" she plaintively asked.

"We made you immortal," Aral replied. "You shall forever be known as the mother of the greatest military leader of the Ori."

"How is this even possible?" she screamed at him. "You raped me only hours ago! You son of a-" Her eyes suddenly grew wide as she let out a startled shriek of pain. "Oh God! Oh my God…."

Aral nodded in satisfaction when he saw that her water had broken. "It is time. The baby comes."

The handmaidens, who sat primly waiting in chairs by the far wall, all got up and quietly went to work. Aral stood back and watched as Tamara was gagged with a muzzle, her robe was opened, and her ankles were retied into stirrups that spread her legs even wider than before.

Soon, the silence of the room was shattered by the wailing cries of a newborn baby girl. Aral took the baby from one of the handmaids and carried it out to the balcony.

Before him was a vast assembly of Ori troops, who had all waited patiently for this moment. Aral held up the baby in both hands above his head and shouted: "BEHOLD, YOUR NEW LEADER, THE ORICI!"

The roar of cheering from the legions of Ori troops was deafening. Aral glanced up in the early morning sky, and was further pleased to see a perfect golden ring that hung above their heads. It was the super gate. Finally finished, it could be seen even from down here on the surface.

Aral noted with pleasure that the completed super gate formed a perfect circle; essentially a large 'O' now floated above them here on Tyro. As he brought the Orici back down to his chest, he gazed at the beautiful infant and said, "What better omen could you ask for, than to be born under the sign of the Ori?"

When the infant opened her eyes for the first time, they glowed a brilliant, radiant red.

**SG1: SVU**

When Gail Emmaus awoke, she found herself lying in a cozy bed, having been stripped of her Marine BDU and gear. Barefoot, she wore only an infirmary patient's outfit that consisted of a powder blue shirt with matching color pants.

When she sat up, Gail was further startled to see that she was not in the infirmary at the SGC, but rather, still in Atlantis. Dr. Carson Beckett walked over to her with a smile. "Good morning, Lieutenant. It's good to finally have you back with us. You were the last one to awaken."

"What happened?" Gail asked, as Beckett took her pulse, then shined a flashlight in her eyes.

"You were hit by a Wraith stun gun, love," he explained, as he quickly jotted something down on a tablet computer. "But you're fine now, and free to go."

"What about the Wraith?" Gail asked. "What happened to the assault?"

"It's all over but the shouting," Beckett said cheerfully.

Gail stared at him suspiciously. "The Wraith are gone?"

"Yep. Colonel Sheppard and Rodney managed to convince the Wraith that we blew ourselves up," Beckett said. "They used one of the nukes that you lot brought over with ya. It was quite a show, let me tell ya! They put the nuke on top of the city's shields, then set it off. Then, once the blast had cleared, they cloaked the city. The Wraith Hive ships bought it, hook line and sinker, and they just left. It's all over."

"I missed it," Gail said, heartbroken. "I missed it again."

"You missed what, love?"

"The battle," Gail muttered forlornly. "I slept through it, just like I slept through the Battle For The Antarctic. I am one unlucky Marine…."

"Some might say you were very lucky, sleeping through two major battles," Beckett told her. "But then, I guess it's just a matter of perspective, anyway. General O'Neill is launching a major attack against the Ori stronghold on Tyro. If you're really eager to be involved, you should probably get back with the last bunch of Marines who're leaving shortly." He gestured at a locker that was by the bed. "Your clothes are in here. I'll get the curtain for you."

Once Dr. Beckett had closed the curtain around her bed for privacy, Gail quickly got dressed. She was fully dressed, with the exception of her shoes and socks, when she heard Rodney's voice speaking on the other side of the curtain. Rodney had mentioned her name.

"Dr. McKay?" she asked, as she put her socks down and opened the curtain for him. "Hello, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Gail, um, I just wanted to see how you were doing," he said. He stood by the gap in the curtain as Gail resumed putting her socks and boots on. "Carson tells me you're doing fine."

"Yes, I'm cleared to go back to the SGC right now. Congratulations on your scheme of getting rid of the Wraith."

Rodney nodded solemnly. "Yes, well, with my genius behind it, how could it fail, really?"

'Oh my God, he's still a major fathead,' Gail thought derisively, as she quickly tied up the laces on one of her boots. 'I mean, really, what an egomaniac!'

Rodney grew thoughtful. "There's something else I wanted to say, Gail. And please, don't take this the wrong way, because I still think you're a wonderful person. But I think we really should start seeing other people."

Gail just stared at him as if he were insane.

Before she could speak, Rodney went on: "Maybe my taking the Atlantis job was a mistake for our relationship. But you can't deny that we've grown apart, and perhaps it would be best if we just went our separate ways."

"Uh, yeah, sure, Rodney," Gail abruptly said. He was about to ask what made him think they even _had_ a relationship, until she realized that perhaps it was just for the better to give in to his weird little fantasy, as long as he was content with leaving her alone. "Whatever you say."

"I'm glad you're taking this so well. Goodbye, Gail," Rodney said. "And good luck. I mean that."

"Yep, you too, Rodney."

He nodded at her, standing there awkwardly for a moment, and then he finally turned and left the infirmary.

When Gail emerged from behind the curtain, Beckett stood there with a sad look on his face. "Lieutenant, excuse me for intruding, because I couldn't help but overhear. But I'm very sorry. I had no idea you and Rodney were seeing each other."

"Neither did I," Gail said, with a puzzled look. "First time I had a guy break up with me when I never even knew we were dating."

"Oh, Rodney..." Beckett muttered, with a weary shake of his head. "Please don't mind him, he's really very harmless. And, he's actually a decent person, once ye get to know him."

"Oh, I understand," Gail said with a smile. "But still, I'm really happy that McKay's all the way out here in the Pegasus Galaxy. Thank you, Dr. Beckett, for taking care of me."

"My pleasure. And please be careful, Lieutenant," Beckett told her. "From what I've been hearing about the Ori, it sounds like you've still got a major fight ahead of you. So be sure to keep your head down, love, ok?"

"I will, thanks again." Gail reported directly to the main control center, where she found Dr. Weir speaking with Colonel Lyman. Both of them looked extremely pleased to see her. There was a group of Marines on the stargate platform below them, waiting to return home.

"Lieutenant Emmaus, Dr. Beckett just called and said you were coming," a smiling Weir told her. "I'm very glad to see that you're well."

"Thank you, Ma'am." She snapped off a salute to Lyman. "Reporting for duty, sir."

"You ready to help bring our people home from the Ori stronghold, Lieutenant?"

"Aye-aye, sir, that I am."

Lyman nodded. "Then let's get going. The General's already gearing up."

"Dial the gate, Chuck," Weir said.

But the technician shook his head. "We can't get through."

"That's all right," Colonel Lyman said. "The General told me they would be launching an unmanned recon drone to Tyro. They're probably doing that now. Let's give them a few minutes before dialing again."

**SG-1: SVU**

Sergeant Siler gave the people in the control room a thumbs up. "She's ready for launch!"

O'Neill bent over the intercom microphone and gave the order to clear the gate room. Siler and his people immediately left the recon drone, a six foot long, unmanned fighter, on its launch rail.

"Dial Tyro," O'Neill commanded.

"Dialing Tyro, sir," Walter said, as he expertly tapped out the gate address for the Ori stronghold. Siler entered the control room and took a seat at the console next to Walter, which contained the flight controls for the drone.

He switched on the drone's engines and raised them to full blast; she was only being held in place by the clamps on the launch rail. Once the event horizon flared open within the gate, O'Neill said, "Let her go."

Siler hit a switch on his console, and the clamps on the launch rail instantly snapped open, releasing the drone. It shot off the rail and straight into the event horizon of the stargate.

"Drone is away, sir," Walter reported. "Still en route to Tyro. Still en route..."

When O'Neill saw the screens above them come to life, Walter said, "Drone's arrived at Tyro, sir."

O'Neill nodded as he carefully watched the screens. The drone flew over what looked like an army of Ori troops, all of whom were completely taken by surprise by its arrival.

"You see this?" Hammond abruptly asked from beside him. "They've put up armored barriers surrounding the gate for their troops to take cover behind."

"Yeah, smart bastards," O'Neill commented. "That rules out an attack through the gate."

"Good thing you're going in with the Icarus, then," Woolsey muttered. He stood watching the images from Tyro with rapt fascination.

But O'Neill gazed hard at the same images in an attempt to gather as much intelligence as he could. "What's not so smart is how they've got their fighters all bunched up in front of the gate like that."

Hammond nodded. "A short-fused missile, shot from here through the gate, should wipe out their entire air support."

"Just what I was thinking, George. Take her up as high as you can," O'Neill told Siler, "and do a circle over the whole city."

"Yes, sir," Siler said, as he proceeded to pilot the drone as per O'Neill's instructions.

"Dear Lord," Woolsey said with horror. "Are those bodies?"

"Yes, they are, Mr. Woolsey," O'Neill confirmed. The drone had flown over a grisly scene showing Ori construction vehicles shoving huge mounds of the dead into pits just on the outskirts of the city. "Wait, George, you see this place here?"

O'Neill had pointed out a large building in the center of the city that was ringed with what appeared to be anti-aircraft batteries. "That really looks like someplace important," Hammond said.

"Like where the prisoners might be held?" O'Neill asked. Turning to Siler, he said, "Do a direct flyover of that place."

"Yes, sir."

"She might get shot down, sir," Walter warned.

"If we can confirm that this is where the prisoners are being kept, it'll be worth it," O'Neill told him.

The drone diverted from its circular pattern to fly straight over the large, gothic-style building with rooftop spires reaching upwards like grasping fingers. "Looks like Dracula's castle," Woolsey said. "The Tyroians' taste in architecture leaves a lot to be desired."

"They won't be constructing buildings like this ever again, Mr. Woolsey," Hammond said coldly. "The Ori have seen to that."

"There they are," O'Neill said, his voice tinged with sadness. There were several large pens constructed on the grounds of the building that contained dozens of prisoners, all clad in Air Force uniforms. Many of them stood and waved joyously at the drone, while others lay on the ground, perhaps injured…or worse.

"She's been hit!" Siler announced, once they saw the images start to jump.

Then the entire world upended as the drone, having been mortally wounded, flipped over and crashed to the ground. The images cut out just before it crashed.

"Wait, I thought I saw something there," O'Neill said. "Walter, run it back to just before it rolls over in mid-air."

Walter rewound the recorded imagery back to when the drone was still airborne, then it let it run forward. They watched as the drone shuttered violently as it was hit from anti-aircraft fire.

"There," O'Neill sharply pointed. "Stop it right there."

The drone had just began its death roll when it caught a picture of something high up in the sky. When Walter paused the picture, O'Neill saw it was a giant golden circle that loomed over the planet.

"Is that the super gate?" an astonished Woolsey asked.

"Yes it is," O'Neill said. "And, as you can see, it's now a full circle. It's finished." He gazed evenly at both Hammond and Woolsey. "If we're going to do this gentlemen, we need to do it now."

Hammond glanced over at Woolsey, who just gave him an emphatic nod. Then he stared at O'Neill and said, "You have a go, Jack."

"Godspeed," Woolsey said.

"Thank you, sirs." O'Neill turned to Walter and said, "I want all commanders of Operation: Bring Them Home to meet me in the conference room right now."

"Yes, sir."

**SG1-SVU**

Sam sat watching the man whom she knew and loved as her father through the glass partition. He gazed evenly back at her with his unnaturally glowing red eyes.

She had a full night's sleep, a shower and breakfast before finally confronting the thing that had stolen her father's body. Olivia sat by her side at the table, and she gazed at Jcaob with a mixture of sadness and replusion. No sooner had Sam entered the observation room than did the monster who possessed her dad begin his spiel; he went on and on about how mighty and powerful the Ori were, but also how they were kind and gentle and caring. If only Sam could help him to convince the others to just surrender, to just lay down their arms and embrace the everlasting warmth and love that was life within the Ori hegemony.

This thing spoke very eloquently with her father's voice, but they weren't his words. Sam knew full well that this truly wasn't her dad standing there before her. After a while, she wasn't quite sure why she had even bothered to come see him in person. Perhaps it was just so she could see for herself what had happened.

Growing weary of the thing's constant cajoling and exaltations of the wonders of life under the Ori, Sam leaned forward and spoke into the microphone. "I want to speak to my dad."

"You _are_ speaking with-"

"Cut the crap, and let me talk to my father," Sam sternly told the thing. "If he truly joined you out of his own free will, then he should be able to tell me so in his own words, without your help."

"Oh, Sam," the creature said, as his smile broadened into a grin. "I do hope you would just come to your senses and just join us. If you do so, you shall know a bliss unlike any you have ever experienced. And if you don't, if you should make the unwise choice to fight us, then we shall crush your bare bones under our boots."

"Well, that's a pleasant change from the 'Mr. Cheerful Cultist' routine," Olivia said, with a roll of her eyes.

"The carrot didn't work, so now he's trying the stick."

Olivia nodded with a smile. "Nice to see psychology 101 is the same no matter where you go in the universe."

"Attention," Walter's voice said over the base's intercom. "Will all commanders in Operation: Bring Them Home please report to the conference room."

Sam felt a slight chill run up her spine when she heard that. It sounded like the operation was finally on. "We'd better go."

"They're calling for the commanders, Sam," Olivia said. "I'm not invited."

Sam grabbed her arm as she got up, pulling Olivia up with her. "Yeah, but I really don't like the thought of you being alone with this creep. C'mon."

"A creep?" the thing that resided within her father said with a laugh. "That's not a nice thing to say about me, Samantha."

Sam was about to tell him to go choke on it, until something had occurred to her. "Selmak?" she called. "Can you hear me? Selmak, if you can hear me, please help!"

The creature's reddish eyes narrowed as he stared at her in confusion. "Who is Selmak?"

"C'mon, Sam," Olivia gently prodded. "You should get going."

"You're right, Liv," Sam said with a weary sigh. As they left the observation room, she added, "It was a worth a shot, at least…."

**SG1-SVU**

'The fools,' Miryll thought, as he let out a chuckle. 'They cling to hope in the face of great adversity, even when they know they will lose.'

Miryll gazed about the confines of the sealed room in which he had been kept and smiled. Miryll had waited patiently for Jacob's daughter to arrive, in the hope that she might be persuaded to help him to make the others surrender, but clearly this mission had failed. The humans were just too head-strong, too stupid to realize the futility of opposing the might of the Ori Hegemony.

'Now it is time for the fall-back plan,' he thought. They might have locked him in this hermetically sealed room, which prevented him from launching an attack via a virus, but he had ways of getting himself free. Take the captured Ori pilot, for example.

Miryll knew the man was here, on the base. He could feel the dimwit's constant praying and chanting; he savored the man's total and complete obedience as he fed off of it. It would be a simple matter to call to the idiot, to respond to his prayers as a true god would, and instruct the man to escape from his cell and come over here and free him.

And then once freed, Miryll would then proceed to implement the fall back plan, which was the systematic extermination of every human being on earth through the Ori virus. 'Oh, let them pray to whatever gods they have…Selmak, and whomever else,' Miryll thought. 'Because that will not save them from the fate of sinners such as them-'

'_Actually, that would be me_,' a male voice abruptly said. '_I am Selmak.'_

"Who said that?" Miryll spoke aloud. But a quick glance around the room told him that there was no one else here. "The humans think they can play games with me, by-"

'_You really speak too much, you know that?_'

"Where are you?" Miryll demanded. "Show yourself!"

'_And, frankly, I would not be so hard on that pilot,_' the unknown voice said. '_Because, to be blunt, you are not so very bright yourself…._'

"Damn you! Where are you?"

'_No need to damn me; for just being stuck in the same head with you is hellish enough for me, thank you very much._'

Miryll instinctively grabbed his head with both hands. "You are in my head?"

'_Actually, I am in Jacob's head. And, to paraphrase from a movie I once watched with Jacob: 'there ain't room enough in here for the both of us, partner.'_'

"What is this? What are you?"

'_I am Selmak. I am the one whom Samantha had called. I had held back, and kept silent, because I was afraid to hurt Jacob. But you are now a threat to the lives of everyone on this planet, including Jacob's children and his grandchildren. Given that situation, I think Jacob would gladly give his life to protect all of them. I know I would._'

Miryll let out a long, loud scream of pain as the sensation of a thousand razor-sharp daggers being pressed into his head and spine abruptly struck his body.

'_I want Jacob back,_' Selmak said firmly. '_But I really just want you gone, most of all. Now. And if that means killing Jacob, then so be it._'

Miryll took a deep breath and he gathered his power. He willed the pain away. He mentally pushed it back as if he were a soldier with a shield shoving against an enemy. This was something that he had actually done once, many centuries ago, when he himself resided within a feeble mortal coil. But now he was a much more superior being. And it worked, the pained had ceased, he had-

And then he fell to the floor in agonizing pain once more. Instead of daggers, it now felt like thousands upon thousands of tiny needles were being plunged into him all at the same time.

'_Do Ori go to an afterlife when they die?_' Selmak calmly mused. '_Let us find that out together, shall we?_'

**SG-1: SVU**

Olivia strode down the hall in the infirmary by herself. Sam had left her to attend the meeting, and she did not want Olivia to stay alone with the thing that possessed Jacob, so Olivia was dumbfounded as to what to do with herself. Olivia _had_ been tempted to stay behind with the Jacob-thing and see where her NYPD-trained interrogation tricks would get her. But she had the sinking feeling that she probably would have been out of her league with whoever, or whatever, was inhabiting Jacob right now.

She supposed she could have gone to the meeting with Sam, but Walter made a point of calling only the commanders of Operation: Bring Them Home. And she really felt uneasy crashing a party that she clearly wasn't invited to. 'Besides,' she thought, 'once it gets to the point where we're gonna go, we'll be told whatever we have to know, anyway.'

Instead, Olivia walked down the hallway to the patients' wing, where she found Casey Novak and Cha'rel. The Jaffa, still healing from the vicious beating he suffered at the hands of Neith's troops, lay in one of the hospital beds. Casey, who sat on the side of the bed, was clad in typical patient's garb of powder blue shirt and pants. Olivia was pleased to see Char'el had grabbed Casey's foot and threatened to tickle it, all while a mortified Casey tried to get away from him, pleading for him to behave himself. If nothing else, it was good to see Char'el was getting better.

"Hey, you two," Olivia called with a smile, as she walked up to them, "get a room, huh?"

"Hey, you!" Casey said in greeting, as she stood up and gave Olivia a big hug. "I heard you were at Atlantis! What was it like?"

"Nice, from what little of it I saw," Olivia said. "Couldn't really sight-see, thanks to the Wraith, whom I saw way too much of, I must say!"

"Is it true that they suck the lifeforce right out of their victims?" Char'el asked.

"Yes, although, thankfully, I didn't get to see one of them do that firsthand." She smiled down at him. "How you doing? You're looking much better than when I last saw you."

Char'el nodded. "I _am_ better. My Goa'uld heals me quickly. Thank you for asking."

"Have you heard any news of the Hak'tyl?" Casey asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No, nothing. I'm told that Jack has tried calling them, but there was no response."

"I can't imagine Io'tan getting away with this," Casey said. "I mean, we had plenty of friends on board that ship. There are bound to be people asking questions once they noticed we're gone."

"Yeah, but can they do anything about it?" Olivia asked. "I mean, Io'tan has complete control over the Jaffa force aboard the ship, doesn't she? And you know as well as I do that whoever controls the military, rules supreme."

"Not all the Jaffa were completely on the side of Io'tan when she made the decision to not help Earth during the Sons Of Darkness invasion," Char'el said. "I would not say that the Jaffa force aboard the Hak'tyl is completely under her power."

"The only thing I can think of is that Io'tan could have created such a good cover story, such as Char'el and I were sent away on a mission," Casey said, "that it diverted any suspicions for the time being. But any cover story, no matter how good, will only last for a certain amount of time."

Before Olivia could reply, both she and Casey were startled by an alarm that sounded throughout the infirmary. It wasn't a base-wide alarm; it was a different sort of alert that only sounded through the medical area.

When she saw a group of nurses running back and forth past the doorway, Olivia and Casey ran over to see what was going on. When Janet ran past, she stopped and pointed at Olivia. "Get Sam back down here, now!"

"What happened?" Olivia asked.

"It's her dad," Janet replied. "He's having some kind of a convulsive fit. We're heading in there to treat him right now. Get Sam down here!"

"Right." Olivia ran down the corridor that led out of the infirmary. She took a shortcut up a flight of steps that led to a doorway that opened right out on the the conference room.

Olivia was halted by two Air Force security soldiers, one of whom shook his head. "Where'd you think you're going?"

"I'm Olivia Benson, I have clearence!" she said, as she pulled out her ID.

One of the security men pointed at something besides Olivia. "What about her?"

Olvia did a double take when she saw Casey was standing there next to her, still barefoot and clad in her infirmary patient garb. She just gave Olivia a sheepish grin. "Oh-um, sorry…guess I just got caught up in the running around. I can wait here while you-"

"That's ok, let them through," Jack's voice called over to them. He came over, surrounded by Sam, Cam, Bobby Lyman, Camille Wray, and Stacy Monroe, the Icarus commander. "What's wrong, Liv?"

"Sam, it's your dad," Olivia said. "Janet tells me he's suffering some kind of a convulsive fit. She's in the lab now with a medical team to help him."

"Oh, God," Sam said. She had a look of renewed terror on her face. She turned to Jack and said, "Sir, if you'll excuse me…."

"We were almost done here, anyway," Jack said. "C'mon, let's all go see him."

They entered the observation room to see a hazmat-clad medical team led by Janet working on Jacob Carter, who lay with his eyes closed on the examination table.

"Fraiser?" Jack called through the intercom. "Do you know what happened?"

"He started having what looked like an epileptic fit, sir," Janet said, calling over her shoulder as she worked. "Then he collapsed on the floor in pain. He was unconscious when we came in."

"His pulse is erratic," one of the nurses announced.

Janet held up a finger at Jack. "Just please give me a minute, sir."

"He's flat-lining!" Dr. Lam shouted. "We've got no pulse!"

"Paddles!" Janet frantically called. "Now!"

'Oh, sweet Jesus," Olivia thought, with a mixture of horror and sadness. She felt terror at the thought that she might be watching Jacob Carter die, and she also felt sadness for what such a thing would do to poor Sam.

**SG-1: SVU**

"You may commence when ready, Battlemaster," Neith said.

Ba'al bowed before her. Neith sat in her throne in Mount Tanis. It was a particularly hot day in the royal chamber room, so Her Lord Empress had decided to wear a slinky, off the shoulder number that simply made Ba'al wild with desire for her.

But Ba'al controlled his more base urges by focusing on the work at hand. He called the team aboard the afflicted Ha'tak vessel and got a confirmation from them that they were ready. He gestured at the holographic display that he had set up before the throne. "If my Lord Empress would be so kind as to watch this area?"

Neith made a disgusted face when an image of the Replicators came up. The little metal monsters were crawling all over a narrow hallway within this Ha'tak vessel.

Ba'al then said, "Now."

There was a glow directly over the legion of Replicators, and when the flash of light was gone, the army of metallic insects were all covered with an opaque layer that was yellow-orange in color.

Neith rose from her throne and approached the holograph, her bare feet silent on the cool, tiled floor. She saw that the Replicators were all frozen within the yellow-orange layer that covered them.

"Crystal?" she asked.

Ba'al shook his head. "No, my Lord Empress. It's amber; the same sort of fossil resin that engulfs small reptiles and insects. We heated it up until it becomes pliable enough to use against the Replicators, who are flash frozen within it. Now it's a simple matter of elimating them however you see fit."

"Excellent, Battlemaster," Neith said with a nod of approval. She gazed thoughtfully at the engulfed Replicators. "How long will it hold them captive?"

"Forever, my Lord Empress."

"Is there a way to free the Replicators from the amber?"

Ba'al was taken aback by that question. The fact was, he had been diligently working on a method of stopping the little metal monsters, not on setting them free. "I assure you, my Lord Empress, they are not going anywhere."

"You have created an efficient way of halting the Replicators," Neith told him. "But I would also like to find a way to release them, as well. I want you to find a way to unleash them whenever and wherever we wish."

Ba'al was astonished. Leave it to Neith to try and turn a hated enemy of the Netian Empire into a weapon that would fight for them. His mind raced for a way to make what she wanted to occur. Then it hit him. "Nano-bots sprinkled throughout the amber. They would normally be dormant, but if we sent them a message, when the amber has hardened, they could heat it up to the point where the amber has softened, allowing the Replicators to escape. I shall proceed with this idea, my Lord Empress."

Neith smiled at him. And it was such a beautiful thing for Ba'al to see. "I knew it was a good idea to keep you around, Lord Battlemaster. You have provided me with better results, much sooner, than this treaty with the Tauri has."

"We do not need the treaty with the Tauri," Ba'al said. "We do not need them at all, my Lord Empress."

"True. But Earth is off limits to us, thanks to that damnable Ancient weapon that protects them. Yet there are other ways of striking a blow at them." Neith gestured at the amber-encased legions of Replicators. "And you have found a way to do so, my dear Lord Battlemaster. For now, we need the treaty as a means of staying close enough with the Tauri to make the killing blow with our new army of Replicator commandos."

To'mar appeared, and bowed. "You have a message, my Lord Empress."

"From whom?"

"Io'tan, my Lord Empress."

Neith appeared to be genuinely surprised. "She dares to call me? Come, Lord Battlemaster, put off your work for the moment and see what you make of this message from a shol'va."

The holographic image of the Replicators was replaced with the worried face of Io'tan, who leaned down to speak, as if she were sneaking this message out. "My Lord Empress Neith," she began. "I make this message under an extreme threat for my life and safety. We aboard the Ha'tyl were wrong to leave Mount Tanis, especially in light of the fact that you have risen from the dead! Ths proves that you, above all, are the rightful ruler of the universe.

"We were wrong to ever doubt you, even after your death," Io'tan continued. "I wish to bring my flock home to you, at least those who are still loyal to me, and to throw ourselves upon your mercy. But I must move quietly, and carefully. There are still many aboard this vessel who are shol'va! I shall contact you again soon with a live transmission. I hope you will find it within your wonderous heart to forgive a humble servant of yours who is struggling to right the wrongs that has been commited against you. I am your faithful servant, always."

"Interesting," Neith said thoughtfully, after the message was over. "It would appear, my dear Lord Battlemaster, that we might have found yet another dagger to level at the Tauri…."

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Olivia watched with horror as Janet and her staff worked feverishly to revive Jacob Carter, who looked for all the world to be dead. He lay on the examination table with his eyes closed and his mouth hanging open. Olivia felt a hand squeeze her own, and realized that it was Sam's. She had drifted over to Olivia, never taking her eyes off the frantic efforts to save her father's life, and had sought her friend's hand in comfort.

But Olivia did better than just hold her hand; she embraced Sam in a one-armed hug while they both watched, terrified, as it appeared that Jacob's life was slipping away from them all.

"Paddles are fully charged," a nurse said, carefully holding them up.

"Expose his chest," Janet ordered. "If we can-"

A faint blipping sound stopped Janet in her tracks. She glanced at the heart monitor, which showed a steady heartbeat. "Son of a gun," Janet said. "We just got a pulse. Belay the paddles for now, Jackie."

"I'm not getting the paddles?" Jacob asked, his voice weary. "That's good to know…not sure what I did to deserve them, anyway…."

"Dad?" Sam abruptly said in a surprised chuckle. She released her grip on Olivia and ran to the glass partition that separated her from the examination room. "_Dad?_"

"I'm here, kiddo," he said. Jacob opened his eyes, and for once, they were not glowing red. They were as normal as everyone else's. He waved weakly at her. "The Ori bastard's gone, thanks to Selmak. Guess the old snake really didn't like sharing my body with an intruder."

"Did Selmak flood your system with poison?" Janet urgently asked him.

Jacob nodded. "Just enough to get rid of the son of a bitch, apparently. But I still don't feel too hot…."

As Janet quickly called out to her medical staff for medication to counteract the poison, Jack walked up to the glass and asked, "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been worked over with a sledgehammer," Jacob replied. He flinched as Janet stuck a needle into the side of his neck. "Next stupid question."

"It sounds like him," Camille said. Although the wary look on her face showed that she still wasn't sure.

Jack nodded in understanding at her; apparently he felt the same way. He turned to the glass and said, "Jacob, do you remember when I was taken captive in Kuwait?"

Jacob smiled slightly as he shook his head. "You were taken captive in Iraq, Jack. Not Kuwait. Look, I understand if you guys still feel a little leery about me. Hell, I'd feel the same way. Don't worry about it. I'll be glad to jump through whatever hoops you need me to in order to ease your suspicions."

"Right now, my patient needs bed rest," Janet called to the group behind the glass. "I need for him to sleep, so if you'd all please give us some privacy?"

"You got it, Frasier," Jack said, he turned to the group and added, "Let's leave Jacob alone, shall we?"

"He's back," Sam told him, as they left the observation room. The tone of her voice was filled with relief. "I know it, Jack. Um…excuse me, I meant, General O'Neill, sir."

Jack very gently, and very briefly, caressed the side of her face. "We're going to continue to carefully monitor him, just to be sure. But for what it's worth, Carter, I also believe he's really back, too."

"Colonel Monroe," Sgt. Harriman's voice called over the base intercom. "Please report to the nearest phone. Colonel Monroe, please pick up at the nearest phone."

Stacey Monroe excused herself as she picked up the call from the closest wall phone. While she spoke intensely, everyone had gathered into a group in the hall.

"Selmak just kicked the Ori right out of Jacob's head!" Bobby said, amazed. "Imagine that?"

Cam just shook his head. "Remind me to never get _that_ snake pissed at me!"

"I know!" Casey agreed. "God, that's so amazing!"

Jack did a double take at Casey. "Good to see you are well, Casey. Um...why are you here?"

Casey just blushed in embarrassment as the entire group turned and stared at her. "Uh, it was Olivia…." Casey shyly mumbled, as she helplessly pulled on Olivia's arm. "You know…she came to see me, and-"

"Oh, right…sure," Sam said, quickly falling into the joke, "blame it all on Liv…."

"What is this, a school yard team up?" Casey asked with a grin.

"Excuse me, General," Stacy said, as she came over to the group. "That was Area 51. They tell me that the Icarus is prepped and ready to go."

Jack nodded. "Good, then so are we." He glanced at both Sam and Bobby and added, "Get your teams ready to ship out, now. In order for this plan to work, you need to be ready and waiting in the Tyro system."

"Aye-aye, sir," Bobby said.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied. She turned to Cam and said, "Get everybody geared up and assembled in the main hanger. We'll brief them aboard the Icarus."

Cam nodded. "You got it, Sam." As they walked down the corridor, he glanced at Olivia. "Since you're here, and already in the know, you care to help me to spread the news to the rest of the team?"

"Sure," Olivia said. "Including Vala?"

Cam turned back to Sam, who just nodded. "If she really wants to go, then that's fine. She can bring a Zat. Oh, Cam and Liv?" Sam added. "Tell everybody to make sure to pack their Faraday equipment, and the EMP zappers, _and_ to dress in the black BDUs."

"Back in black. Got it, Sam." Olivia paused outside of the patient wing, which was Casey's destination, to bid her farewell. "Now you'd better stay here, or else they'll strap you to the bed! Imagine you, running around here like you own the place!"

Casey smiled at the joke. "I guess I'm just so used to running around the Hak'tyl, that…." She abruptly stopped, as her smile faded. "Oh, yeah…looks like my days of living aboard that ship are long gone, huh, Liv? You think I can still get my old apartment back?"

Olivia gave her a loving hug. "You and Char'el are staying here. This is your home. Look, we have to rescue these poor souls from Tyro right now, but when this is over, we _will_ deal with what happened between you and Io'tan. Don't think for a moment that that bitch is getting away with this!"

Casey nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Liv. And, please be careful, huh?"

"Always," Olivia called over her shoulder, as she left the infirmary.

She went to Daniel's room, where she found him and Grace busy working on research. "Hey guys, it's on."  
Daniel looked up, and from the blank expression on his face, Olivia knew his mind was still engrossed in research. "Uh…what, lunch?"

"No, the rescue mission. We're shipping out now, aboard the Icarus. Sam and Cam will explain the mission on the way."

"Oh, I'd better get moving," Grace said, as she got up from her chair. "Where're we meeting?"

"The main hanger," Olivia told her. "Black BDUs, and Sam said to bring your Faraday-protected gear, _and_ your EMP zapper."

"Main hanger, black BDUs, Faraday gear, and EMP zapper," Grace muttered to herself, as she walked past Olivia and out the door. "Check! See you guys there!"

Daniel stood up from the desk and let out a satisfied groan as he stretched his body. Olivia came up behind him and began to massage his neck and shoulders. "Oh, yeah, that's much appreciated," he said with a sigh. "You feeling up to this?"

"Yeah, why you ask?"

"We were battling the Wraith just yesterday," Daniel said. "Now we're entering our first major battle with the Ori. Two major battles in as many days? That's pushing it, Liv, even for this team."

"It won't be just us alone, Daniel. SG-3's coming, along with the Icarus."

"And with Neith providing air support," Daniel said, his sarcastic tone revealing his skepticism.

Olivia stopped massaging him just then. "You don't think this will work?"

"I didn't say that. It's just that there are so many variables that need to work perfectly for it to all come together. Don't be surprised if we wind up coming back home empty-handed."

Olivia thought about TJ. She couldn't help but think about the young medic a lot recently. There was something deep down within Olivia that told her that TJ was still alive. And the thought of leaving the poor woman to whatever horrendous fate she presently suffered at the hands of the Ori was just too horrible for Olivia to bear.

But she realized that Daniel wasn't being cynical about their chances, instead he was trying to be honest. And to that, Olivia could say only one thing: "We'll see."

Yet as she left to prepare for the coming battle, Olivia steeled herself with the knowledge that, once she had stepped foot on Tyro, she would do everything in her power to try and get TJ, as well as whoever else was imprisoned there, back home safely.

**SG-1: SVU**

Once they assembled in the main hanger, they got in one of the Teltac ships and flew it towards Area 51, where the Icarus was based. Mitchell never truly realized just how fast the Teltac vessels were until he flew this one to Area 51, where a trip which normally would have taken about an hour only took them minutes.

He parked the Teltac next to the Icarus, which sat on the main tarmac of the super-secret base. The Icarus' main engines rumbled like a growling tiger. There was a gantry set up next to her port side; it offered an elevator ride up to her airlock, saving them the arduous trip of climbing a series of ladders and staircases with all of their gear.

Mitchell recalled, back when he was a fighter pilot aboard the Prometheus, how that ship was always kept out of sight, in one of Area 51's vast underground hangers. She didn't even launch until they were sure the skies were completely clear of planes, as well as satellites. And yet here was the Icarus, sitting out in the late morning sunshine, as casual as she can be.

Mitchell just chalked it up to living in a world after an alien invasion, where the stargate program had not only been outed, but it was heartily accepted by the populace as being another vital branch of the military. Area 51 was still a highly classified installation; a lot of important research was being conducted here, and security forces tirelessly patrolled the perimeter in an effort to keep the snoops away. But gone were the days when Earth's starship fleet was treated as a deep, dark secret.

Once aboard, Mitchell traveled with Sam to the main bridge, where they, along with the other military members of SG-1, saluted Stacy Monroe, who was a full-bird colonel.

"Bobby's just finished with getting his Marines aboard now," Stacy told them. "We're just waiting for the medical team to arrive. They left SGC shortly after you did."

"Thought you carried your own team," Mitchell said.

"We do, but General O'Neill thought it best to have them augmented by another two med teams, led by Doctors Fraiser and Lam," Stacy replied. "If everything goes according to plan, we should be getting a lot of wounded on board, and my regular med staff might be overwhelmed."

"And what if things don't go according to plan?" Daniel asked.

"General O'Neill gave me final say on this mission," Stacy said. "As the commander of Earth's one and only space battleship, I've got the authorization to pull all of our assets out of the Tyro system if things get too hinky."

"What would you consider to be 'too hinky'?" Olivia asked.

"It would have to be pretty darn bad," Sam said. "Apocalyptic-scale events would have to unfold to make us back off."  
As SG-1 went to a conference room to discuss their plans for the rescue,

Mitchell was troubled by the fact that the "wounded" that Stacy spoke of would be people whom he knew, former shipmates from the Prometheus. He had watched the footage taken from the drone earlier and saw what looked like at least a hundred prisoners in the camp on Tyro. The Prometheus was manned by a crew of just over one hundred people, so it looked like the majority of them had survived. But once the shooting started, who knew just how many of them might make it aboard the Icarus?

Mitchell brooded over these details while Sam gave the rest of SG-1 a rundown of their duties once they were on Tyro. They would be going in first as an advance scout with a Teltac under cloak to scope out the area for the full-on assault by the Marines. It was pretty simple on the surface, but, of course, Mitchell knew that the more simple a plan seemed, the better chances there were for something to get screwed up.

Apparently, the extra medical team had finally arrived, because the Icarus lifted off from Area 51 and soared into the heavens. SG-1 gathered by a large window and watched as the blue skies soon faded away, replaced by the perpetual black night of space.

"Attention," a male voice called over the ship-wide intercom. "We are jumping into hyper-space. I say again: we are jumping into hyperspace."

"Oh, you can say that again!" Olivia said, as she clutched her stomach with a pained expression just as the ship jumped into the hyperspace corridor. Sam sat by her side and held her hand in commiseration as Daniel massaged Olivia's neck and shoulders.

"ETA to target," the male voice said over the intercom, "fifty minutes."

"You're not alone, Olivia," Vala spoke up just then. "Back when Qetesh still controlled my body, we had several Jaffa who also got sick whenever the ship they were aboard jumped into hyperspace."

"What did you do for them?" Olivia asked.

"Ba'al had them all killed right there on the spot." When everyone just stared blandly at her, Vala innocently said, "What? What'd I say?"

"Jennifer, could you please get me a glass of water?" Olivia asked.

"Roger-roger," Hailey said, in a perfect, nasal-sounding imitation of the droid soldiers from the Star Wars movies.

Mitchell chuckled at the sight of Sam, who stared after Hailey with a confused look as the young Captain left to get the water.

"It's what the Federation droid soldiers always say," Vala told her. "From the Star Wars films, yeah?"

"You know," Mitchell added, "the prequels? Which Vala here simply _adores_ even more than the original films!"

"Who here thinks the prequels are actually better than the originals?" Vala said, as she happily threw her hand up. "Anyone?"

Everyone's eyes went to Teal'c, who slowly shook his head with displeasure as he walked over to glare out the window.

Sam shook her head at Vala. "It's really not a good idea to get Teal'c riled up like that."

"But I wasn't trying to get him mad," Vala replied. "I actually _do_ enjoy the prequels much more. Besides, maybe it is a good idea to get Muscles angry just before we go into battle, anyway!"

"Yeah, but it's probably a good idea to make sure that Teal'c isn't angry at _you_," Daniel said. "Being on a battlefield with a Jaffa who's royally pissed at you may not be the most ideal situation, if you know what I mean."

Mitchell just grinned as he watched Vala's eyes grow very wide at what Daniel implied.

Hailey returned with the water for Olivia. "I never really liked the Star Wars films," Hailey said. "I only started watching them just recently. I was always more of a Matrix fan, myself."

"Coming from you, Sparky, that makes total sense," Mitchell said.

"Why does she get a nickname and I don't?" Satterfield spoke up, sounding peeved.

"You want a nickname?" Hailey asked. "How about Dopey?"

"'_How about Dopey_?'" Satterfield said, mock-imitating Hailey in a whiny tone. "You're such a twit…."

"I'm still your commanding officer, Lieutenant," Captain Hailey reminded her.

"Excuse me, _Captain_ Twit," Satterfield said, as she snapped off a salute.

Hailey just nodded solemnly. "That's much better."

And so it went. Mitchell found himself both amused and pleased at the casual camaraderie on display; he was amused at the banter, and extremely pleased to be a part of it. Before long, they were called to the bridge, and Mitchell was actually annoyed to have to break up this gathering.

As they rode the elevator up to the bridge, Olivia clutched her stomach once more. "Oof! We're out of hyperspace!" she announced.

"You should let the boys and girls at Area 51 check out your stomach," Mitchell said, as they left the elevator and walked onto the bridge. "You could be classified as a secret intelligence device."

"What, and be locked up at Area 51?" Olivia said with a look of concern. "No thanks!"

Bobby Lyman and Gail Emmaus were already on the bridge with Stacy, and they all stared with anxiety at the screens above the main windows.

"We're on the outskirts of the Tyro system," Stacy told SG-1. "And there's really bad news."

"The super gate is finished?" Sam asked.

"Worse," Bobby said. "They got the damn thing switched on."

He gestured at the monitors, which showed an image picked up by the ship's long-range cameras. It was the Ori super gate, which was now a completed circle and whose center glowed like a simmering lake in the vast blackness. To Mitchell, the sight would almost be beautiful…if it weren't so damn scary.

"Anything come through, yet?" Mitchell asked.

"Not yet," Gail replied. "It just switched on now."

"Colonel Monroe," Sam said. "You might want to alert the SGC."

"Great idea," Stacy said, as she turned to a junior officer in the back. "Comms! Get the SGC on the horn, pronto!"

**SG-1: SVU**

'This is it,' O'Neill thought, when he read the encrypted text message that had been sent by the Icarus. He lowered the computer tablet and said, "Operation: Bring Them Home is a go. Walter, dial the meeting place."

The 'meeting place' was their shorthand term for the deserted planet where they previously made contact with the Netian Empire, when Neith sought an alliance with them. Neith kept a small force of Jaffa there who basically served as messengers. They were going to _love_ the message that O'Neill had for them now.

Once contact was established through the MALP, which had been left on that planet, O'Neill gave the commanding Jaffa the prepared statement, which was half a lie, and half truthful. Neith should buy it, and once she got to the Tyro system, and saw what was going down, it then shouldn't matter whether she believed it or not.

'But if she doesn't buy it, then this should be the shortest rescue mission in military history,' O'Neill glumly thought.

**SG-1: SVU**

Neith lay naked on a padded table, receiving a full body massage in her private spa, when Ba'al entered with To'mar. It was a shame, because Re'nar, her favorite masseur, had found a crick in the small of Neith's back which had annoyed her for the past few hours. His firm hands rubbing up and down the afflicted area in small circular patterns had felt like pure bliss as they expertly unwound the stiffness.

When Renar paused at the sight of Ba'al and To'mar, Neith just said, "Continue!"

Then she let out another sigh of relief as the crick in her back was completely melted away under Renar's firm, assured rubbing.

"My Lord Empress," Ba'al nervously said.

"What?" an annoyed Neith asked, her face still buried within the padding of the massage table.

"We received a message from the Tauri, from General O'Neill, specifically."

Neith glanced up at him. "What is it?"

"He says that they have found the location of the Sons Of Darkness base, and that it is in the Tyro system," Ba'al replied. "O'Neill claims that they, the Tauri, are incapable of launching an attack, due to the fact that the Sons Of Darkness have allied themselves with a much larger, more powerful force known as…the Ori."

Neith just stared at him in puzzlement. "The who?"

"The Ori, my Lord Empress," To'mar said. "They appear to be new on the scene. We have sent an Alkesh to check out the Tyro system."

As much as she hated to say it, Neith commanded Renar to stop massaging her. She got up fro the table and threw on a robe as she read the message that O'Neill sent them. "How long ago was this sent?"

"Twenty minutes," Ba'al replied. "We assumed you would want confirmation, so we ordered the Alkesh to check it out first, before coming here."

"You assume correctly, Battlemaster." Clad in just her robe, Neith strode to the command center with her aides by her sides. She had noticed that, in the written message, O'Neill had invoked their alliance as a means of asking her to step in for them and deal with the situation in the Tyro system.

'But we shall see,' she thought.

When she reached the command center, the commanding officer informed her that they received a message from the Alkesh, just before all contact was lost. The Alkesh commander had reported that they were under attack from a fleet of ships of unknown configuration.

Along with the text message, the doomed Alkesh commander had sent several static photos of their enemy. Neith saw that they were single-seat fighters of a type that she had never seen before.

"It would appear that General O'Neill speaks the truth," Neith said, taken aback. "At least with regard to an unknown enemy operating within the Tyro system." She turned to Ba'al and added, "Assemble the Sixth and Seventh fleets in orbit above us. Then meet me and To'mar aboard my private Ha'tak."

"Yes, my Lord Empress," Ba'al said, just before he left to carry out her order.

"You're taking both fleets with us?" To'mar asked, surprised.

"If the Sons Of Darkness have truly allied themselves with a new power, as it appears they have done, then I must stop them," Neith explained, as they walked briskly down a corridor. "And I shall not be satisfied until every living being within the Tyro system is dead**!"**

**SG-1: SVU**

When Aral stepped through the stargate with the Orici in his arms, he was a very troubled Ori.

The Earthers had sent one of their unmanned ships, called drones, through the gate. It did a flyover of the main city before an anti-aircraft battery had finally shot it down. Accessing the memories of Everett Young, Aral knew that whenever the Earthers sent an unmanned drone like this, it was usually a precursor for military operations. In other words, they were planning something, and whatever it was, it would happen very soon.

To that end, Aral was pleased to be returning to the Ori home world with the Orici. While she was still a toddler like this, the Orici was still very vulnerable, and Aral was pleased to get her out of harm's way.

He emerged from the wormhole with the Orici and stepped into the lavish palace, where he was greeted by an honor guard of Ori soldiers, who all bowed at the Orici.

For her part, the Orici regarded these men, soldiers who would soon be under her command, with an impervious gaze. Aral was pleased to see her natural instincts of command were already in place, even at this early stage in her development.

She glanced at him and, with words that were far more sophisticated than her age, said, "Put me down. I would rather walk."

Aral did as she had ordered. He was pleased to see that she now stood and walked effortlessly. Her growth rate was both impressive and staggering to behold. She would be a fully grown leader of Ori troops within a day.

"We are here for you to meet the Doci," he told her.

"I know," she replied, as she walked beside him. "I wish to meet him standing on my own two feet."

"You will be a formidable leader of warriors," Aral said with admiration.

"I already _am_ a formidable leader of warriors," she told him. Aral didn't dare to argue.

When they entered the Great Hall, the Doci stood waiting for them. Aral bent his knee before the Doci. He paitently waited for them to make their formal greetings.

However, Aral was surprised to hear the Orici say, "Tyro is vulnerable. It needs to be reinforced with more troops. I suspect another incursion by the Earthers soon."

"She is correct, my Doci," Aral said. "The Earthers have sent an unmanned drone through the gate. It has been shot down, but not before it gathered intelligence, which was sent back through the stargate."

The Doci regarded the little girl with a nod. "It is an honor and a privilege for me to meet you, Orici. My only regret is that this meeting must take place under such dire circumstances."

"Have no fear, Doci," the Orici said. "The Ori forces repelled the Earthers once before. We shall do so again."

But the Doci shook his head. "That is not what I speak of. Miryll has been forcibly ejected from the body whom he possessed."

Aral was so stunned to hear this that he rose up on his feet. "That can not be…."

"It does not seem possible," the Doci said, "yet it is the truth, nonetheless. He is back among us now, within the Veil Of Souls. He reports that a creature, a parasite, that lived within the body of his host had poisoned him into leaving."

"The pandemic on earth?" Aral asked.

"Was never started," the Doci answered. "Miryll was ejected before he could even launch it."

"Do I have the same such creature within me?" Aral fearfully asked.

"If you did, it would have made its move by now," the Orici told him. "Still, it would appear that you have badly underestimated these heathens, and the sordid manner in which they will fight. We must strike back at them, hard, right now. If you do not launch the fleet through the super gate, and give me an additional twelve legions of troops to go back to Tyro with right now, then we will lose our foothold within the heathen galaxy."

"So be it," the Doci said. "The fleet launches now, and you shall have your extra troops."

"Come, Aral," the Orici said, as she turned to leave. "We shall meet up with the troops in the stargate staging area."

It was a strange situation to be taking orders from what was essentially a five year old girl, but Aral knew that would soon change once the Orici fully matured and came into her powers, which would be considerable. Still, Aral dutifully bowed once more before the Doci before leaving.

It didn't take long for the Ori troops to assemble in perfect formation before the stargate. Once the first three legions were formed up, the Orici said, "Do not wait for the last units to be ready, start sending them through now."

Yet when the technicians tried to dial out to Tyro, the stargate would not activate. Aral knew full well what it was. "We are blocked, Orici. The gate on Tyro must either be in use…or it had been destroyed."

"It would appear that the fate of our foothold in the heathen domain now rests solely with our fleet," the Orici grimly said.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Multiple contacts throughout the system!" the Icarus ops officer called from his console. "We've got at least a dozen…no, more…at least several dozen hyperspace exits now opening all around Tyro."

"Close-up on one of them, Ty," Stacy ordered.

One of the main monitors, which was being fed images from an array of external telescopic cameras, zeroed in on the maw of a hyperspace exit that opened within sight of the super gate. Stacy nodded with relief when she saw the Netian Empire Ha'tak class vessel emerge.

"Looks like Neith took the General's message to heart," she said. "Colonel Carter, are you seeing this?"

"Yes, we are, Colonel Monroe," she replied over the comm speakers. Sam Carter, along with the rest of SG-1, were presently aboard a Teltac ship that had already left the hanger and floated alongside the Icarus. "We should get moving ourselves, sir."

"Whenever you're ready, Colonel Carter," Stacy replied. She watched as the Teltac vanished within the flash of a hyperspace entrance.

"Comms," Stacy called. "Inform the SGC that SG-1 are away."

"Yes, Colonel!"

"Dear Lord in heaven," Major Dale Caruthers, who was Stacy's XO, had softly said. "Colonel, are you seeing this?"

Stacy gazed at the main monitor, directly above the forward windows, and was so frightened at what she saw that she felt a shiver run down her spine. There was a ship coming through the Ori super gate. It was a single ship, one that took up nearly all the space within the event horizon. Stacy knew that the super gate was roughly the size of a small moon, and for this thing to be taking up nearly all the space within it meant that this vessel was a monster.

"And so it begins," Stacy solemnly murmured to herself.

**SG-1: SVU**

The moment Cassie arrived in the control room, she sought out O'Neill and said, "Did you hear anything about mom, yet?"

O'Neill smiled at her. He loved how this kid was always business first. "Hello, Cassie. Good to see you. And…no, we're still waiting to hear back from them."

"Is that a good thing?" she asked nervously.

"Sometimes combat is nothing more than waiting incessantly," O'Neill told her. "Don't worry; so far, so good."

"Who is this?" Woolsey demanded, once he took notice of Cassie.

"This is Cassie Fraiser," Hammond told him. "She's the daughter of the base's chief medical officer, Doctor Frasier, who's presently aboard the Icarus."

"Why is she here?" Woolsey asked. "This is no place for a child!"

"She's here, Mr. Woolsey, because I asked for her to be here," O'Neill told him.

Cassie turned to O'Neill and gestured at Woolsey with a sideways nod of her head. "Who's the dweeb?"

"Mr. Woolsey," O'Neill replied, "who's a very important dweeb who likes to throw his weight around. We tolerate him because we have to."

"Excuse me!" a shocked Woolsey cried. "I'm standing right here!"

"See what I mean?" O'Neill said.

Cassie just giggled into her hand.

"General!" Walter called from his console. "We have a message from the Icarus!"

"Read it aloud."

"SG-1 is away," Walter said.

'Hot damn, this mission is really a go,' O'Neill thought. "Very well. Initiate the second stage, please."

Walter nodded as he turned back to his console and pressed several buttons.

"Armadillo on the ramp and hot, sir," Sgt. Siler reported.

"What the hell is that?" a wide-eyed Woolsey asked, as a lethal-looking missile was lowered from the ceiling before the stargate. Walter then pressed a button that lowered a blast shield in front of the main windows.

"Just a little housewarming present for the Ori," O'Neill said.

"Dailing Tyro," Walter announced. Once all of the chevrons had locked, he added, "Wormhole established, sir."

"Set the MALP loose," O'Neill ordered.

Siler launched the armored MALP, which to O'Neill looked like an armadillo (hence its name), into the event horizon. They watched on the monitors as the Armadillo emerged out the other side of the wormhole to a hostile reception by the Ori troops, who opened fire on it en mass.

"They've _still_ got their fighters bunched up in front of the stargate," Hammond noted with a chuckle.

"A mistake they're about to pay very dearly for," O'Neill said. He nodded at Walter. "Light them up."  
The missile ignited on its launch rail and then roared straight into the event horizon of the wormhole.

"You might want to turn away," O'Neill told Cassie, "now."

Cassie dutifully averted her eyes as the rest of the crowd in the control room watched as the Ori troops continued to hammer away at the armored MALP.

And then the missile arrived.

The resulting explosion from the missile exploding directly over their heads instantly ripped the Ori troops apart, shattering their bodies into bloody fragments. Meanwhile, the squadron of fighters parked nearby had also been destroyed; the multiple explosions from the devastated fighters killing any remaining Ori troops who managed to survive the initial blast from the missile.

For its part, the Armadillo survived the blast, but just barely. The armored MALP shuddered violently from the explosions, with two of its cameras going dark. The remaining cameras still offered a serviceable view of the blasted and charred remnants of the Ori Troops.

"Wormhole is still stable," Walter said, sounding surprised.

"Keep it open," O'Neill told him. "Don't let it close. I want to deny them any reinforcements from their home world."

"You got it, sir," Walter said.

"Scratch the Ori air support," Hammond said with satisfaction.

"Now what?" Cassie asked.

"We wait for SG-1 to make their play," O'Neill said. 'Assuming there weren't any Ori fighters left in the air,' he anxiously thought. 'And the main force of Ori troops were most likely nowhere near the gate, which meant we merely killed a tenth of what they'll be facing.'

As if noting his anxiety, Cassie just smiled and said, "Don't worry, Jack. They'll be ok. After all, Sam and I have a chess game planned this Saturday, and there's no way she'll miss that!"

O'Neill couldn't help but smile back at her. "Good point."

"Personally, I'd love to see the look on Neith's face once she gets a load of the Ori super gate," Hammond said.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Tactical!" Neith commanded. "What are we looking at?"

"It's an orbital stargate," Ba'al reported from his console. "A huge one."

"I meant the ships!" Neith said. "What readings do you have on them?"

Ba'al glanced at the main monitor, which showed one of the massive vessels had completely come through the super gate. A second vessel was now just emerging through the event horizon. 'Such power!' Ba'al thought with envy. 'To be able to contruct a thing on such a grand scale….'

He kept himself focused on the task at hand, which was getting a reading on this new threat. The enemy vessels were oval-shaped, with a hollow center that glowed with a constant energy pattern that he had not seen before. And they were massive! Clearly five times the size of one of their Ha'tak vessels.

"All of their energy readings are clear off the charts, my Lord Empress," Ba'al grimly said.

"All the more reason to dispose of them now," Neith said. "All ships, open fire!"

The sixty Ha'tak vessels of the Sixth and Seventh fleets all unleashed their full firepower on the Ori vessel. And it was a thrilling sight to see.

But Ba'al grimaced when he saw that the Ori vessel merely floated there, unharmed. The Netian weapons exploded harmlessly against an invisible shield the surrounded the Ori vessel.

"They have superior shields," Neith noted. "Launch fighters!"

Ba'al flinched when he saw the Ori ship open fire with a single laser. The laser struck a Ha'tak, going straight through its own shields and blowing the vessel away within a single shot. The Ori vessel fired on two more of their Ha'taks, destroying each of them with a single shot as well. All the while, the Netian Empire vessels kept pounding on the single Ori vessel, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Ba'al saw that the second Ori ship had just cleared the super gate…which now meant that they faced double the Ori firepower. As he watched as the first Ori battleship continued to effortlessly blow away several more of their Ha'tak vessels, Ba'al anxiously thought, 'We're quickly losing this battle!'

"They have superior technology, my Lord Empress," Ba'al said. "Perhaps it would be wise for us to break off?"

"My Lord Empress," To'mar called. "We have an incoming message from the Ori vessel."

"Cease fire, all ships," Neith ordered, once she saw that the Ori had done the same. She nodded at To'mar. "Put them on."

A human with a ghost-like complexion appeared. Ba'al was most struck at his eyes, which glowed an unnatural red. "We are the Ori Hegemony," he said in a toneless voice. "We shall offer you this choice, here and now, for this one time only. Surrender your forces to us, and convert to the Ori way of life, or die here and now. The choice is yours."

Ba'al felt a numb coldness as he considered the fact that he could very well die here. 'So be it,' he grimly thought, 'Neith would never back down; she would never-'

"I am Her Lord Empress Neith, ruler of the Netian Empire," Neith said simply, with a bow to the creature on the screen, "and I hereby surrender to you."

"A wise choice, your majesty," the Ori commander said, with a smile. "Your subjects, and your lands, are hereby subjugated by the Ori Hegemony. You shall come aboard this ship and offer me your surrender in person."

"May I bring my pets?" Neith asked him.

"Of course you may, your majesty."

'Her pets?' Ba'al thought, confused. Just when he was taken aback by Neith's abrupt surrender, he was further puzzled to hear her talk about her pets, which she didn't have.

Neith turned to him just then and said, "Ba'al, my Royal Pet Wrangler, would you please see that my little darlings are securely placed aboard my personal Teltac?"

And in that moment, just as he caught the slight wink in her eye, Ba'al got it. He smiled back broadly at her and replied, "Why, it would be my extreme pleasure, my Lord Empress!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Little bird to Icarus, we've reached the Tyronian main city," Sam stated, as she and Cam piloted the cloaked Teltac over the city. "Taking a look, now. Over."

It was just like how Sam saw it in the footage from the unmanned drone. There was the large building in the center with the spirals on the roof. It was nicknamed the Citadel for reference within their mission. Her heart sank when she saw the miserable conditions the prisoners were being kept in, penned up like animals in make-shift jails that sat outside around the Citadel. The prisoner pens were being kept well within the perimeter of the antiaircraft battery that surrounded the Citadel. "Oh yeah," she told Cam. "There's plenty of room for the 303s to wipe them out with impunity."

"Little Bird to Icarus, the prisoners are far enough away from the antiaircraft batteries to easily survive an air strike," Cam said. "Send the Hawks in. I say again: send the Hawks in. Over."

"Rodger that little bird," Icarus replied. "Hawks are away, followed by the Rhinos. Over."

"Icky, what's the status on the battle?" Sam asked. "Over."

"There's now a cease fire between the Nets and the Oris," the Icarus reported. "Over and out."

"He makes it sound like a frigging basketball game," Olivia commented from her seat behind Sam. The Teltac was tricked out by Sgt. Siler and his team with several rows of seats that were bolted to the floor, all complete with seat belts.

"Whoa!" Cam pointed out the window. "Explosion!"

Sam nodded as she saw the mini mushroom cloud of firey black smoke quickly rise up over in the northwest. "That's where the stargate's located. Looks like the SGC just sent their housewarming gift."

"That's what it is, Colonel," Hailey confirmed at her console. "I'm reading extremely hot heat signatures where they had their fighters parked. The fighters are history. The stargate's also still open."

Sudden movement directly below them had caught Sam's attention. "Hey, what's going on down there?"

Sam's eyes grew wide with horror when she saw the Ori troops were pulling the prisoners out of their cages and rounding them up in a large group all by themselves.

"They're gonna shoot them!" Cam said, alarmed. "Sam, they're gonna shoot the prisoners!"

Sam's stomach clenched in terror as she watched the Ori troops take up position in a line that faced the huddled and helpless prisoners. But she wouldn't dare shoot at them, for fear of hitting their own people. Sam realized that they needed an expert marksman for a shot like this, and there was only one person like that on their team.

"Teal'c!" she shouted, "get over here! Cam, give him your seat."

Once the Jaffa sat down beside her, Sam pointed at the firing squad that was forming up in front of the prisoners. "I want you to hit them…."

"….without hitting our own people," Teal'c calmly said with a nod. He took aim with the controls.

"We'll reveal our position," Hailey warned.

"No choice," Sam shot back. "The 302s will be here, soon, anyway."

Teal'c opened fire with the Hellfire launchers mounted on the Teltac. Sam watched, supremely impressed, as the missiles swooped down right over the heads of the prisoners and slammed directly into the would-be firing squad.

"Target acquisition!" Hailey called, as her console began to beep frantically. "One of the antiaircraft batteries just locked onto us!"

"I got it." Sam spun the Teltac so that her missiles were facing the large cannons, which had swung in their direction to aim at them. "Teal'c?"

The Jaffa already fired. Two hellfire missles blasted the cannons to pieces.

But Sam was stunned to hear the target alert was still beeping. "Who's got us in their sights?" she called. "Where are they?"

Before Hailey could even answer, the entire ship then heaved forward violently as it was slammed from behind by an enemy munition. Sam and Teal'c desperately tried to bring the ship back under control, but it would not respond; the Teltac was too far gone.

They were going down.

"BRACE YOURSELVES!" Sam shouted, as the ground rushed up at her at an alarming rate.

**To Be Continued...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Everybody all right?" Sam called.

"Yeah," Olivia replied. She glanced over at Daniel, who was busy removing his seat belt. "How are you?"

"Feeling a little jumbled. But ok, otherwise," he replied. He glanced at her with concern. "Why aren't you getting out of your seat?"

"My seatbelt's broken," Olivia nervously said.

"Here, Liv, wait," Grace said, as she tried to undo the latch. After several failed attempts, Grace shook her head. "You're right, this is broken. I can't get her loose."

A series of explosions could be heard outside of their downed Teltac, which unnerved Olivia, who was starting to feel like a sitting duck, trapped as she was in her seat.

"Wait a sec," Daniel muttered, as he pulled out his knife and sliced through the seat belt straps. "There."

Olivia smiled and hugged him once she was able to stand up from her seat. "My hero."

Her smile vanished when Olivia heard more explosions outside, and she now felt them as well. "It sounds like whoever's shooting at us is getting pretty close to the target."

After Jennifer was unable to open the side door electronically, Teal'c and Cam, aided by Daniel, managed to muscle it open manually. The sight that greeted them was of a battered antiaircraft cannon emplacement, which was now nothing more than ruins that spewed black smoke into the air like a volcano. A 302 fighter from the Icarus screamed right over them, and as it veered sharply off to the side, another antiaircraft battery exploded further down from them.

"The Hawks from the Icky are here," Cam reported. "They're knocking out the guns protecting the Citadel."

After trying to call the Icarus at the main console, Sam gave up and went over to the opened side door, where she peered outside. "We need to get to the prisoners and provide them with cover until Bobby and his Marines get here."

"Agreed," Cam replied. "But it's gonna be a hairy ride!"

As if to punctuate what he said, there was another explosion nearby. It rained gravel and dirt all over Sam, Cam, Teal'c and Daniel.

"It would appear that this crashed vessel has been targeted by an Ori with a shoulder-mounted weapon," Teal'c said. He abruptly raised his M60 and fired off a burst out the doorway. Then Teal'c nodded and said, "It is clear, for now."

"You get him?" Cam asked.

Teal'c just stared at him as if that were the most silly thing he'd ever heard.

"Of course you got him," Cam quickly amended. "What was I thinking?"

"All right everybody," Sam called. "Let's get moving. Cam, you're with me on point, Teal'c will bring up the rear "

Olivia pulled on Vala's arm. "You should put on your helmet."

"Oh, it's too heavy," Vala said with a wave of her hand. "And bulky."

"It might just save your life," Grace chimed in. "Put it on."

Vala reluctantly pulled her helmet from its place on back of her belt. She grimaced at it. "It's rather ugly and unfashionable, isn't it? Why don't I just forget about-"

"Vala," Cam angrily called, "stop stalling and put the damn helmet on! You're holding us up!"

"All right, all right," Vala muttered, as she put the helmet on. She made an annoyed face. "Now it feels like it's crushing my head!"

"Better that feeling than having your head be blown off," Olivia told her, as they gathered into a tight group by the doorway.

"Ok, everybody ready?" Sam asked. "Stay close behind me, and keep your eyes open."

They ran out of the downed Teltac and immediately took cover behind the shattered stone walls of the exploded antiaircraft cannons. Olivia was pleased to see the 302s were all over the skies, mowing down the slightest sight of Ori resistance.

But that did not mean that it was safe; far from it. Olivia stayed alert, her hands on her P90, as SG-1 quickly moved towards the prisoner pens. The prisoners, not having any weapons, nor cover, had all scrambled back into their pens and huddled down against the fury of the battle as best they could.

As SG-1 came up on the helpless prisoners, they came across a squad of Ori troops who were also advancing on the area.

"To the right," Sam called, "open fire!"

Olivia didn't think; she just aimed her P90 at the Ori troops and opened fire along with the others. The Ori troops were gunned down before they could even fire off a shot.

After they ceased fire, Olivia then heard something amazing.

It was cheering.

She turned and saw the prisoners, who had all just witnessed SG-1 wiping out the Ori troops, were now cheering and applauding them wildly. These poor souls, who looked sickly and malnourished, were so overjoyed to see SG-1 that many of them, both men and women, were openly crying tears of joy.

"CAM!" a woman's voice cried out. "CAM!"

"Oh, my God, Suzie!" Cam shouted back, as he tightly hugged a woman in a tattered Air Force flight uniform who had run up to him. "Sam, this is Captain Susan Donaldson. I flew with her in the Battle For The Antarctic. How are you, Suzie? You ok?"

"I am now," Suzie said, then she burst into tears. "Oh, Cam…."

"I know, darling, I know," Cam soothed her, as they embraced tightly once more. "It's over now, we're taking you home."

"We need to set up a defensive perimeter," Sam told Teal'c. "The prisoners are out in the open and completely vulnerable, here."

The Jaffa actually smiled as he glanced upwards. "That will not be necessary, Colonel Carter. Observe."

Olivia glanced upwards and saw the Rhinos were landing in a circle surrounding them. When she first saw these transports aboard the Icky, Olivia had originally thought they were squat, bulbous and ugly. But now, they were the most beautiful, gorgeous things she had ever seen.

The rear doors of the Rhinos, which faced them, opened up, and several dozen Marines all poured out.

Bobby and Gail both strode up to them and saluted Sam. "It's my pleasure to inform you that the United States Marine Corps now owns this little piece of Tyro," Bobby said.

Sam just grinned broadly at him. "Perfect timing, Bobby. Let's start getting the prisoners aboard the Rhinos."

"Good God!" Jennifer shouted, as she pointed at something in the sky.

Olivia looked up at the overcast skies and gasped sharply at the bright flashing lights that brilliantly illuminated the clouds. "What the hell is going on up there?"

**SG-1: SVU**

Ryle sat aboard the lead Ori vessel and watched as the leader of the Netian Empire approached his vessel in her own small shuttle, which she had referred to as a Teltac.

"The Netian Empress has landed in Docking Bay One, my Prior," a technician said.

"Excellent," Ryle replied. "Put that docking bay on the viewer."

Ryle watched as a legion of Ori troops warily surrounded the Teltac in the docking bay. The rear doors of the Netian ship opened, and the troops aimed their weapons at the Empress who was called Neith.

However, Neith was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a large black flood of creatures emerged from the ship. It looked to Ryle like a mass of large insects. The Ori troopers, stunned, all hesitated for a moment. And Ryle realized that it was that moment of pause that was what killed them.

For the insects abruptly attacked the troopers, with some of the creatures leaping up and landing right on the face of some of the stricken Ori soldiers. Despite the fact that they fired back, the Ori troops were quickly overwhelmed by the relentless army of creatures.

"Seal off Docking Bay One," Ryle commanded. He shook his head with distain. He had figured this Neith to be nothing more than a common floozy who would resort to such back-stabbing tactics. Well, she would now pay for that. "All Ori ships, resume your attack on-"

"My Prior!" the technician called. "Look!"

Ryle was stunned at the sight before him. Each of the Netian Empire ships had begun to glow, until they were all as bright as the sun. It appeared as though they had destroyed themselves.

"Did they just commit suicide?" Ryle asked with a laugh. "So much the better! Apparently this Neith has realized that it was futile to…."

Ryle stopped when he realized the Netian ships had not exploded. Each of the vessels had fired off what looked like a large energy wave from its hull. The waves, ball-like in size, expanded and merged with each other, until they created a giant wave of energy that crackled and flashed with terrifying power.

And it was headed straight for them.

"Shields!" Ryle frantically shouted. "Raise the shields, now!"

**SG-1: SVU**

"Seeker Wave!" Dale shouted. "The Nets just launched a Seeker Wave, and it's the biggest goddamn one we've ever seen!"

"Damn it," Stacy muttered. They had just launched the Marines down to the surface of Tyro. "Give me an estimate, Ty."

"The surviving Netian ships, of which there were forty three, have all launched Seeker Waves, Ma'am," the ops officer reported. "The wave is now growing, with the individual waves having combined with each other. It will hit us in less than five minutes."

"We have to pull out," Dale told her. "Do what Mitchell did at the Battle of the Antarctic, and-"

"We're not going anywhere, XO," Stacy firmly told him. "We would have to retreat a hell of a distance to escape that wave, and I'm not leaving all of those people alone down there for even a second."

"But, Colonel, if we get hit by that wave…."

She waved him off as she glanced at Lt. Jason Tyrell, whom the bridge crew had good-naturedly nicknamed Data. Although he didn't have golden skin, Tyrell's slender build and mild, polite manners (as well as the fact that he manned basically the same station as the android did on Star Trek: The Next Generation) had reminded everyone of Data. "Ty, can the planet's atmosphere protect us?"

"Yes, Colonel, it will," Ty replied amiably. "Assuming we're low enough."

Stacy turned to the helmsman and said, "Get us into the atmosphere, now!"

"How far down?" he asked.

"Put us right over the damned city! I want the bottom of the hull scraping on the tops of the buildings. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," the helmsman replied, as he pressed a series of buttons on his console. "Everybody better hold on, it's gonna get a little bumpy…."

**SG-1: SVU**

"How the mighty have fallen," Neith said softly. She stood watching as the Ori ships, despite their best measures, were caught within the Seeker Wave. As she had expected, the Seeker Wave had stripped the vessels completely of their power, and caused massive damage. The large glowing orbs within the center of the Ori ships had grown dim to the point where they had disappeared entirely.

But there was an unexpected bonus that not even Neith had expected. After wiping out the power of the two massive Ori ships, the Seeker Wave had continued onward to the super gate, which was still fully powered up as a third Ori ship made its way through the event horizon.

When the Seeker Wave struck the super gate, it sapped the enormous structure of its energy, which then shut down the gate while the Ori ship was only halfway through. The resulting explosion from the ship, which had been sheered neatly in half when the gate shut off, caused major damage to the super gate to the point where it began to drift uncontrollably out of its orbit above the planet Tyro.

"This is your Lord Empress Neith," she called to her remaining ships. "Finish them off! Tal shak!"

She then smiled as her Ha'tak vessels opened fire on the crippled Ori vessels. Unable to fight back, or even protect themselves, the Ori ships shuddered violently under the withering attack.

"My Lord Empress," Ba'al called. "A Tauri battleship has sought cover within the atmosphere of Tyro."

"The Tauri are here?" she asked, surprised. Then she gave him a predatory smile. "After we are done scraping these Ori from our boots, perhaps we shall check in with our good friends and allies on Tyro."

**SG-1: SVU**

TJ was startled when a group of Ori troopers abruptly ran into the room where she was kept tied to the bed. "Untie her!" the lead soldier commanded. "She is the mother of the Orici; we must take her with us."

TJ bided her time as the troops untied her wrists and ankles. Although she had given birth only the day before, almost all signs of her unnatural pregnancy were now gone. TJ wasn't sure if this was because the pregnancy was so abnormal or what, but she really didn't care. All that mattered was that her strength had returned, and she wasn't going to squander it.

Once she was completely free of the bed, TJ continued to act weak until one of the soldiers lifted her up in his arms. Then she promptly stuck her thumb into his eye, which caused the man to drop her as he howled in pain.

They blocked the only door, so TJ scrambled to her feet and ran towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, beyond which lay a balcony. She stood briefly on the balcony, the slate floor feeling cold beneath her feet, and desperately sought a way out, as the troops came rushing up behind her.

But her heart sank when TJ realized there was no exit off the balcony.

"No!" TJ screamed, enraged, as the troops all savagely attacked her at once. "LET GO OF ME!"

There was a loud, thunderous blast, and TJ glanced up to see what looked like the Prometheus coming in for a landing right above the building. But it couldn't have been the Prometheus, for that ship was destroyed. It had to be her sister ship, the Icarus. They were finally being rescued by the SGC.

"DOWN HERE!" she frantically screamed to the ship. "HELP ME!"

But one of the troopers hand-gagged her as his comrades dragged TJ, kicking and screaming, back inside.

**SG-1: SVU**

"Let's go, load them up," Gail shouted, as the Marines helped the wounded and sick prisoners aboard the Rhinos. "Keep the line moving!"

Olivia was horrified at the condition of some of the prisoners. One poor man, who was carried on board a Rhino on a stretcher, had half of his face burned. However, despite how heart-breaking it was for her to view them, Olivia stared at each and every prisoner. She was looking for someone in particular.

She flinched when a thunderous sound could be heard all around them, and Olivia was momentarily fearful that the Ori might be launching a counterattack. But a glance up at the sky immediately allayed her fears.

The Icarus hovered directly over the skyline of the Tyroian city. It was an amazing sight for Olivia to witness. But she couldn't help but wonder what were they doing down here.

"Liv!" Daniel called. He stood with the rest of SG-1 and Bobby by one of the Rhinos. "Come on!"

When she joined them, Olivia asked, "What's up?"

"Neith just had the Ori fleet for breakfast," Bobby said. "Just heard it over the radio from the Icky."

"She use the Seeker Wave?" Sam asked.

Bobby nodded. "That's why the Icky's hovering over us like this. They're trying to avoid being hit by the wave."

"Good move," Jennifer said, nodding her head.

Gail ran up to them. "We've got all the prisoners, Colonel Lyman."

"Not all of them," Olivia said, as she scanned the area. "I still haven't seen TJ."

"Liv," Sam said gravely. "I've just spoken with Lt. Matthew Scott, who was in SG-7 with TJ. He told me that she was taken away by the Ori some time ago."

Daniel gave her a downcast look. "Um, TJ hasn't been seen since, Liv. They all think she might be-"

"The SGC didn't give up on us, when we were captured by Neith," Olivia angrily said, as she kept scanning the area for any sign of the young medic. "And _I'm_ sure as hell not gonna…."

Olivia stopped and stared at the sight of a young blond woman who was struggling with Ori troops on the balcony of the Citadel. Clad in a flowing white dress, she looked like a fairy tale princess fighting off an army of ogres. But Olivia instantly knew who it was.

"TJ!" Olivia pointed. "Up on the balcony! See her?"

"I do indeed, Olivia Benson," Teal'c said. He had his M60 slung over his shoulder. But now he brought it back down to bear. "She needs our help."

"We are leaving now," their Rhino pilot called to them.

"So are we," Olivia replied, "to rescue TJ!"

"What are we waiting for?" Vala said, her Zat in hand. "Let's go."

"Yeah," Daniel said with a nod. "Let's."

"You guys don't get it," the pilot said, "we are bugging out right _now_!"

"Not without Lieutenant Johansson," Teal'c said curtly.

"Yeah, count me in," Grace said. She glanced at Jennifer. "What about you, Sparky?"

"I'm coming, too," Jennifer confirmed.

"I guess the direct order from Colonel Monroe to bug out is being ignored?" Cam said with a grin.

Sam slapped him on the shoulder. "It's SG-1, Cam. What do you think?" She then glanced at Bobby and added, "We're going for her!"

Bobby nodded. "We leave no one behind. I understand perfectly, Sam. C'mon in the Rhino; we'll give you a lift."

As they entered the Rhino, which was the last one on the ground, Bobby ordered the pilot to take them up to the balcony on the side of the Citadel. He then called in their change of plans to the Icarus. Olivia was happy to hear Monroe sign off on the idea.

"But we don't have much time," the Icarus commander added. "The Net ships should be all over this position at any moment."

"Going up!" the Rhino pilot called. Then, after a short ascent, he added, "Main balcony! Everybody out!"

The rear door opened, and SG-1 stood with their weapons at the ready. But the balcony was empty. Stepping off the ramp onto the balcony (Olivia was very grateful to the Rhino pilot for putting them directly over the balcony's surface, so they would not have to step over a deep chasm), they warily entered the room beyond the windows.

Teal'c and Cam, who had gone in first, both opened fire. Olivia saw a pair of Ori Troops fall to the floor.

"They're taking her into the hallway!" Cam called over his shoulder, as he ran through the door. "Into the hallway!"

Olivia cautiously entered the room with Daniel and Grace at her side, all three of them holding up their P90s. She saw Teal'c and Cam had ran out into the hallway beyond the room, and once she stepped through the doorway, Olivia stopped short at the sound of automatic gunfire.

Two more Ori soldiers lay dead on the floor, and Olivia saw the remaining Ori soldier holding a knife to TJ's throat as he backed up with her against a wall.

Cam and Sam had both shot down the other two Ori soldiers, and when they, along with the rest of SG-1, had brought their P90s to bear on the last Ori, he shouted something in an alien language. Olivia had no idea what he said, but from the way he held the knife at TJ's throat, his meaning was brutally clear: don't come any closer.

"Easy, easy," Sam said, as she dropped her P90, letting it hang from its strap on her chest. She held out her hands. "It doesn't have to end this way. You could just let her go, and you can live."

The Ori soldier glared right at her as he said something in a sneering tone. Olivia was struck at how TJ looked numb and dazed, as if she had witnessed so much horror over the past few days that she just detached herself from this moment.

"You wouldn't have a universal translator in your bag of tricks, would you, Sparky?" Cam asked.

"No, sir," Jennifer said.

"Jackson? Satterfield?" Cam prodded. "Don't suppose either of you understand this guy?"

"No, sorry," Daniel replied.

"I've got nothing," Grace confirmed.

"That's ok," Cam said. He slowly lowered his weapon. "Because Mr. Ori and I are still gonna talk. Ain't that right, buddy?"

The Ori spat out several more words in his language in a hateful tone. He glanced at all of them, at SG-1, and laughed harshly. To Olivia, it almost looked like he was making fun of them.

"Oh, yeah, I know…we probably ain't much to look at, right?" Cam said with a slight chuckle. "But I like to think of us, of SG-1, as being sort of like a Kansas ice storm. You know what I mean, fella?"

The Ori snarled several more alien words at him as he tightened his grip on the limp TJ.

"Ok, ok, now…don't get excited," Cam said, as he held up his hands. "Let me explain. SG-1 is like a Kansas ice storm in the way that, on the surface, it just doesn't look very dangerous, you know? You see all that ice, and it almost looks very pretty, right? Hell, it'll even sparkle, just like ornaments on a Christmas tree! But you try driving in a Kansas ice storm, and you discover that it's a lot dangerous than you'd originally thought…dangerous enough to _kill_ you."

The Ori glared right at Cam as he muttered something maliciously under his breath.

'Wait a minute,' Olivia suddenly thought, 'where the hell did Teal'c go?'

"And that's SG-1," Cam summed up. "Because, just like a Kansas ice storm, just when you least expect it, we turn out to be dangerous enough to _kill_ you!"

Olivia was startled to see Teal'c abruptly step out from right behind her as he flung a knife.

The Ori let out a gurgling sound as the blade landed right in his throat. Sam, Cam and Teal'c all jumped forward and pried TJ from the dying Ori's hands. When the Ori began to put up a meager fight, Teal'c grabbed the handle of the knife and twisted it further in the man's throat for good measure. The Ori let out one more death rattle before he died. Teal'c pulled the blade from his throat and then cleaned off the blood by wiping it on the dead man's uniform.

"N-No! Nuh-No!" TJ screamed, when Cam tried to hold her. "LET GO OF ME! LET GO OF MEEEEE!"

"TJ!" Sam cried. "It's us! It's SG-1!"

TJ backed up against the wall, shaking her head as she glared at SG-1 like a trapped wild animal. "Y-You're never gonna touch me again! NEVER!"

TJ let out a terrified scream when all of SG-1 tried to approach her. She shrunk into a ball on the floor, holding up her hands in a defensive manner.

"Wait, guys, wait!" Olivia called to them. She strode up to Sam and whispered into her ear: "She's been raped."

When Sam stared at her in sheer, wide-eyed horror, Olivia realized that, despite all of the amazing things that her dear friend had done and seen in this universe, there was still a part of Sam that was so very innocent. And Olivia loved her all the more for it.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked in a whisper.

"I worked the Special Victims Unit long enough to know a rape victim when I see one," Olivia replied, as she removed her helmet and weapons and handed them to Daniel. "And, believe me, Sam, TJ has been raped. She's showing all the signs. Please, let me?"

When Sam nodded, Olivia approached the frightened TJ in a crouch. She kept her voice low and gentle. "Hey, TJ…hey there!"

"Nuh-no! NO!" TJ cried again, as she cowered away from Olivia.

"It's ok, sweetie," Olivia said. "It's all right. It's me, Olivia. You remember me?"

"Olivia?" TJ said, sounding as if she didn't quite believe her.

"Yes. Olivia Benson. You know me, right?"

"Olivia." TJ said her name more firmly, as if remembering. "Yes, I-I know you…did they catch you, too?"

"No, honey, I'm here to take you home. Would you like to go home, now?"

"Yes, oh, God, yes…I wanna go home," TJ said, as she nodded her head. She looked for all the world like a scared little girl.

Olivia held out her hand. "If you want to go home, TJ, then just take my hand. Come on."

TJ stared suspiciously at Olivia's hand, as if she wasn't quite sure it was really there. Then she reached out and grabbed it. And when she did, Olivia quickly pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, God, you're real!" TJ cried in relief, as she lay her head against Olivia's shoulder. "You're all really here, aren't you?"

"Yes we are, sweetie," Olivia assured her, as she rubbed TJ's back. "And we're taking you home, now. Come on."

When she stood up, Olivia was pleased to see that TJ also stood up with her.

Olivia glanced at the rest of SG-1, and saw that Jennifer, Grace and Vala were openly crying. Daniel had removed his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Great job, Liv," Sam said, her voice sounding rough with emotion. "Come on, let's get her the hell out of here."

As Olivia led a weeping TJ in her arms towards the Rhino, she glanced back when she heard a loud WHUMP!

It was Teal'c. He had given the body of the Ori whom he had just killed one last kick.

Olivia really didn't blame him.

**SG-1: SVU**

When Janet first saw her aboard the Icarus, she forgot that she was a doctor for a moment and gave TJ a warm hug. This made the young medic cry once more, but it was tears of joy this time.

Up to this point, Sam had did her level best to keep her emotions in check. But when she saw the other medics and nurses abruptly join in by all giving TJ a loving, welcoming hug at the same time, Sam just lost it. She let the tears flow. She was pleased to see that she was not alone, for Daniel and Cam were also wiping tears from their eyes, as well. And Olivia and Vala were both blubbering so much they leaned against each other for support.

The medical cadre in the infirmary had quickly restored their professionalism so as to allow TJ to lay down in one of the beds.

When Olivia made to leave, TJ suddenly reached out and pulled her back. "Stay with me, please?" she pleaded.

"Of course, sweetheart," Olivia said, as she sat down on the side of the bed and gently rubbed the side of TJ's face. "I'm staying right here."

Daniel and Vala voted to remain with Olivia and TJ in the infirmary. Teal'c, Hailey and Satterfield were presently busy placing their weapons in the armory. Sam thought about checking in with the SGC until she was startled by an abrupt shaking of the whole ship, which was followed by a call to battlestations.

"What now?" Cam asked.

"Let's go see," Sam told him.

Yet before they could leave the infirmary, they were stopped by Dr. Lam, who insisted on giving them both check ups before they left. It was a precaution against the Ori plague that slaughtered so many innocents on Tyro. Sam still wore her gas mask on her web gear; an unpleasant reminder of just how deadly this mission was, and might be still.

She was relieved when both she and Cam had checked out ok, along with Olivia, Daniel, Vala and TJ. Teal'c, Hailey and Satterfield arrived at the infirmary and were also given the all clear. As he left the infirmary, on his way to the bridge with Sam, Cam asked, "Wonder why the Ori didn't use the plague on us?"

"Good question. Maybe we were just lucky enough to have caught them off guard this time."

"We did catch them with their pants down," Cam agreed.

But Sam still felt uneasy. Perhaps they got away with it because they did catch the Ori off guard. But the Ori wouldn't be caught so unawares the next time SG-1 dealt with them. They had proven themselves to be major players in the same league as the Netian Empire. 'And I have a feeling we're not done with them,' Sam thought, 'not by a long shot. This may yet get a lot worse for us.'

When they reached the bridge, Sam asked Stacy Monroe what had happened before, when the ship shuddered.

"An Alkesh tried to force us to land," the Icarus commander said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They actually had the nerve to fire a warning shot across our bow. We fired a warning shot of our own, and convinced them to back the hell off."

"Gee, thought we were allies," Cam said sarcastically.

"Neith may be cranky, but I still think we made a good choice in allies," Stacy said, as she pointed out the main windows. "You see that?"

"Holy Hannah," Sam said with awe, as she and Cam gazed out at the scene before them.

Blasted fragments of Ori ships floated helter-skelter all over the darkness of space, while Ha'tak vessels of the Netian Empire continued blasting the wreckage into even smaller bits. Off in the distance, a larger portion of Neith's ships were using the Ori super gate, what was left of it, as target practice. The once mighty super gate crumpled and shuddered under the incessant fire, until it finally erupted into a massive explosion of its own. The colossal golden ring was now nothing more than scattered shards drifting in space.

"Do not piss off the evil space empress," Cam said quietly.

The darkness of space was replaced by the multicolored flashing of hyperspace as the Icarus jumped out of the Tyro system. 'And good riddance to the place,' Sam thought darkly. 'Thanks to the Ori, it's now just a vast graveyard.'

"How well did Neith handle the Ori?" Sam asked Stacy. "Was it a cakewalk for her?"

"Not at first," Stacy replied. "One Ori ship outgunned her entire fleet. It blew away seventeen of her ships without even working up a sweat. But then the firing stopped, and Neith sent over a Teltac."

"She probably called a truce, then took advantage of it to stab the Ori in the back," Cam said.

"It wasn't until she launched the Seeker Wave that the tide of the battle turned in her favor," Stacy said. "We have the whole thing recorded. You should take a look at it first chance you get."

"Thanks, Colonel, that will come in handy for evaluating the Ori tactics," Cam said.

Sam nodded. "Yes, it will."

"I don't see why we should even bother," the XO spoke up. He bore the bold enthusiasm of a man who had survived his very first battle. "I mean, after all, we beat the Ori soundly. I doubt we'll be seeing them again."

"For one thing, Major, we did not beat the Ori," Sam corrected him. "Neith did. And yes, Neith crushed the Ori beachhead at the Tyro system. But the Ori are a Hegemony who're in control of their own galaxy. What's stopping them from establishing another beachhead, with another super gate, anywhere else in this galaxy? Absolutely nothing."

"In other words, Major," Cam said, "I wouldn't get out of the storm shelter just yet, because this tornado is far from over."

**To be concluded in the next, and last, chapter...**


	15. Chapter 15

_My thanks to all of you who wrote reviews, and to all of you who favored this story._

**Stargate: SVU 4**

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Several days later. _

O'Neill sat back in his seat at his desk and let out a weary sigh. It had been a tough few days, what with the memorial service for the 36 Prometheus crew members, including Colonel Newell, who were killed by the Ori. Also eulogized were the personnel, including six Marines, who were killed in action while helping to defend the Atlantis base from the Wraith.

They managed to pull their fat through the fire once more, but there were still too many dead for O'Neill's comfort. Even a single life lost was still one person too many. He had spent the last few days personally writing to the families of each and every one of the dead.

O'Neill switched on his laptop and checked for email. There was one from Sam, who was already at his house, preparing for the party that he was hosting. It was yet another one of O'Neill's famous "leave your rank at the door" get-togethers that he always threw after the completion of a big mission. He wasn't sure how this became a tradition, but he welcomed it, nonetheless.

Sam wrote that she had stopped off and done the shopping before coming to his place. Hailey and Satterfield were with her, and helping to set up. "Just come straight home," she wrote, "and be prepared to have some serious fun."

O'Neill laughed when he saw that. He was truly blessed to have Sam in his life. And he was looking forward to spending some quality time with her much later, when they were alone after the party.

When the stargate alert sounded, O'Neill immediately shut down his laptop and left his office while Walter called for him over the base intercom. Camille waited for him in the control room. The iris was shut over the active gate.

"We're getting a live feed message," Camille told him. "It's from Neith."

O'Neill braced himself inwardly for this. "Very well. Put it up on the monitors."

Neith appeared on the screen, she stood with Ba'al at her side. O'Neill couldn't help but wonder just how close their relationship was.

Before O'Neill could even say anything, Neith said, "You lied to me."

"About what?" O'Neill asked. He knew full well what she meant, but why make it easy on her?

"I am standing here on Tyro, General O'Neill, and after my Jaffa had turned this dust ball of a planet upside-down, we could find no evidence that the Sons Of Darkness were ever here."

"Our intel on that was faulty," O'Neill said. And that was the closest he would ever admit to having lied to her. "But we did find the Sons Of Darkness' real base, and we destroyed it, along with them. I'll be glad to send you the coordinates, so you can see for yourself."

"Thank you," Neith said, when Ba'al acknowledged receipt of the data.

"As far as helping with the Replicators," O'Neill added. "We have been trying to contact the Asgard since the Reps first returned, but we haven't been able to get a response."

"No need," Neith told him coolly. "The Replicator problem is now under control."

"You've been able to stop them?"

"Yes," Neith said.

'What the hell does that mean?' O'Neill wondered. He was careful to keep a poker face. "If you've managed to find a solution to dealing with the Replicators, we'd appreciate it if you could share it with us."

"Like you have shared _your_ solution dealing with them?" Neith asked. "And how you have misled us into attacking the Tyro system for no reason?"

"With good reason," O'Neill insisted. "Even if the Sons had nothing to do with them, the Ori were still a major threat that couldn't be ignored."

"Agreed," Neith said, after a thoughtful pause. "It would appear that we both face a dangerous new threat, General. The Ori may be gone, now, but they will be back. It would be best for us to continue with this alliance."

"I couldn't agree more," O'Neill told her.

"And in light of seeking better relations with each other, to further strenghten this alliance," Neith added, "I would hope that you shall be more honest and upfront with us in the future."

"We will be as honest and upfront with you as you will be with us," O'Neill said.

Neith just gave him a wry smile. "I look forward to our next conversation, General O'Neill."

When the transmission ended, Camille shook her head and said, "The backstabbing liar is demanding more honesty from us?"

"I still don't trust her as far as I can throw her," O'Neill admitted. "But we need this alliance. There's a limited supply of drones left at the Artic weapons platform. So we need their firepower to protect us against the Ori. At least until we can get our own fleet of ships up and running."

"But you told me that even with the new Daedelus-class ship being built, we'll still be hopelessly outmatched by the Ori."

"I know," O'Neill said with a sigh. "One crisis at a time, Camille. Are you coming to the party tonight?"

She smiled just then. "Yes. Thank you for-"

Camille was interrupted by a brillant flash of light that came from the gate room. O'Neill thought it was from the gate, but that was still shut down. "Where'd that come from?" he asked.

"Sir!" Walter said, as he stood up and peered out the window. "Uh, we have a guest…."

"What?" O'Neill and Camille walked up to the window and gazed into the gate room.

An Asgard stood there, staring up at them. He waved and said, "Greetings, O'Neill."

"THOR!" O'Neill exuberantly cried, with his hands outstretched. He grabbed Camille by the hand and said, "Come on, you've gotta meet Thor."

When he led her into the gate room, Camille let out a gasp in shock. "Oh, uh, um, he's…like…completely naked!"

"It's his way. You get used to it," O'Neill said. "Thor, this is Camille Wray, she's the civilian leader of the SGC."

"Greetings," Thor said.

"Hello," Camille said. She then smiled and added, "Loved your movie, by the way! You know, the one you did with Natalie Portman?"

O'Neill chuckled, but when Thor just stared at her blankly, an embarrassed Camille quickly waved her hand and said, "Small joke…a _very_ small joke…don't mind me…."

"I am sorry we were not able to respond to your hails so quickly, O'Neill," Thor said. "But we have been very busy fighting off a new assault by the Replicators. It has taken everything we have just to keep them at bay."

"They've popped up here, as well," O'Neill said. "Among other things."

"Yes, we read your message," Thor said with sorrow. "Unfortunately, we are unable to directly help you, as all of our ships are presently occupied in dealing with the Replicators. But while we can not help out with our fleet, we may be able to help you in another way."

"In what way?" O'Neill asked.

And when Thor told them, both O'Neill and Camille were so stunned, they actually had to hold onto each other for support.

**SG-1: SVU**

Once the transmission with O'Neill was over, Ba'al asked, "And so we are keeping the alliance with the Tauri intact?"

Neith gazed out over the dead world of Tyro. An entire planet filled with people, and they were simply slaughtered so their home could be used as a stepping stone for an invasion force. The Tyronian people would have been enslaved by the Netian Empire, yet the Ori choose instead to kill them off, as if they were nothing more than pesky insects. That fact alone told Neith that these Ori had a special brand of insidiousness that made them especially dangerous.

'That, and the fact that just one of their ships outgunned two combined fleets of Ha'tak vessels,' she somberly thought. 'In the end, we defeated them, but just barely. And if the Ori were halfway decent tacticians, they will be expecting the Seeker Wave the next time we clash.'

"We shall honor the alliance with the Tauri," she told Ba'al. She gazed down at the initial report sent by the Ha'tak that she had assigned to check out the moon which O'Neill had told her about. "They _did_ end the Sons Of Darkness threat for us, after all."

"Only because the Sons had threatened _them_, as well," Ba'al pointed out.

"True. But the Tauri are as resourceful and tenacious as the Ori are brutal and powerful," Neith said. "It may be wise to keep the Tauri close to us for the time being."

"And what of Io'tan? In her last message, she claimed to have quelled the uprising on her Ha'tak."

"We keep her close as well," Neith replied. "We shall supply her Ha'tak with whatever it needs on the sly, by using third parties. But we keep her independent, at least outwardly."

Ba'al smiled. "You plan to recruit her, and her Ha'tak, as privateers, working for us?"

"That is the plan. Io'tan and her Ha'tak may still be useful as a dagger leveled at the throats at the Tauri," Neith said. "Should the alliance no longer be of any use to us."

"Always keeping your options open," Ba'al said. "Very well played, my Lord Empress."

"Especially in light of the coming storm, which I anticipate will sweep across this galaxy," Neith said. "It is always best to keep one's options open, Ba'al. Come, Battlemaster, let us depart this graveyard and return to Mount Tanis. For there is much more planning to do."

**SG-1: SVU**

When Olivia walked up to the make-shift bar that was set up in Jack's house, she found Cam standing behind it, chatting with Jennifer.

'These two have become really chummy,' she noted with a smile.

Seeing her, Cam said, "May I be of service, ma'am?"

Olivia asked for fruit drinks for herself, Grace, Daniel Jacob and TJ. They were all hanging out on Jack's patio out back. Cam set her up with the drinks, with help from Jennifer. Yet before Olivia tried carrying all of the drinks outside by herself, Cam offered to take some out with her.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Cam said, as they paused on their way to the patio. "There was a time when I wondered what the hell you were doing on this team. And I was wrong, dead wrong. You're a valuable asset to SG-1, Olivia. And I'm mighty pleased to be working with you."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Cam. I appreciate it. I'm pleased to be working with you, too. And, by the way, my friends call me Liv."

Before they could continue outside, Jack had entered the house, with Camille and her girlfriend, Sharon. The excitement level in the living room rose to a fever pitch. Jack had called earlier and told Sam that he would be late because of an unexpected visitor from up North. Sam had correctly deciphered this to mean that the Asgard had finally responded to the SGC's hails. And so once Jack had finally walked in through the door, the entire party had hushed up, just to hear what he had to say. Cam went outside to call everybody else in.

When Jack finally explained the situation, Olivia just couldn't believe it. The Asgard were actually going to give Earth some of their technology to use. Superior shields, lasers, and a hyperspace drive that was completely designed by the Asgard for the new Daedalus-class ships that were presently under construction. An Asgard would serve as the engineer for each ship.

When she heard that last part, Olivia couldn't help but say, "The first Asgard ship's engineer, will his name be Scotty?"

That was met with chuckles and groans from the crowd, who included all of SG-1, Janet and Cassie, as well as Bobby and Gail from SG-3; Stacy, Elizabeth Weir, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay and Radek Zelenka from Atlantis. The Atlantis folks had come home for the memorial service, and stayed on when Jack invited them to the party.

"That's a better joke than what I said to Thor," Camille told Olivia, with a shake of her head. "Oh, God…I'm still cringing over that one!"

"She said she enjoyed his movie," Jack told Sam, "and you know Thor; it went over like a lead balloon."

"The Asgard are great allies," Sam said, "but they have no sense of humor whatsoever."

"I was just so taken aback!" a mortified Camille said. "I mean, here was a real live alien, and he was naked! God, I'm such an idiot!"

Sharon just pulled her lover into a one-armed hug. "It's all right, babe. Stop beating yourself up over it."

"You'll get used to Thor," O'Neill assured Camille. "You'll see that he's a pretty cool guy."

Olivia noticed that TJ went back out onto the patio and sat back down on the bench.

"Are you all right?" Olivia asked, as she stepped onto the patio. Daniel and the others had also joined her.

TJ nodded with a smile. She looked beautiful in dark dress jeans and a burgundy colored V-necked sweater. Her feet were bare as she sat cross-legged on the bench. "Sorry, I guess I got lost in thought."

"This news about the Daedalus-Class ships is great," Grace said, in a bid to make conversation.

"This is really big news," Jacob said. "We've finally got a major edge over everybody out there; the Netian Empire, the Ori."

"Hopefully, having a ship armed with this tech should make the hunt for the Sangraal go more smoothly," Daniel agreed.

But Olivia stared at TJ with concern. She had gazed up at the skies with such intensity that it was starting to be worrisome. Jack and Sam had come out to the patio, and they stopped their casual conversation to gaze anxiously at TJ.

"TJ?" Olivia asked. "What is it?"

TJ stared at her. "I was seriously thinking about leaving the SGC. After what happened to me, I wasn't sure if I could be able to step through the gate, or go onboard another spaceship again. But in light of my new-found abilities, and now _this_ latest news, I think I'll stay with the SGC."

Olivia recalled the furor that arose when it was discovered that TJ, and TJ alone, could easily understand the Ori pilot whom they kept prisoner at the SGC. She could even speak to the man, who had stopped his incessant chanting and calmed down considerably when TJ reached out to him. It turned out the pilot's name was Tomin, and he was from a small farming village called Ver Isca, before joining the army of the Ori Hegemony.

Sam and Janet had both theorized that TJ's ability to understand the Ori language might be a side effect of her unnatural pregnancy. TJ had told them that the Ori Priors had spoken English to her when she was a captive of theirs. But, until now, there had been no way to directly communicate with the average Ori soldier. TJ had become their translator.

"If you still need time off, be sure to take it," Olivia told her.

"Yes," Daniel agreed. "Perhaps you shouldn't push it."

Vala, Teal'c, Cam and Jennifer had come out just then, and they listened quietly to the conversation.

"But Everett's still out there," TJ said softly. "And so is my little girl. I mean, the birth might have been far from being normal, but she's still mine, you know? And it might have been Everett's body that raped me, but I know with my heart that his soul didn't have anything to do with it. I can't just walk away from either of them."

"We'll find them, TJ," Jack told her. "We won't rest until we do."

"And when you do find them, I want to be there," TJ replied. "I want to be there for Everett and for my little girl, just like you were for me these past few days, Liv."

Olivia remembered how devastated she felt when Elliot was taken by a Goa'uld, and she easily understood how TJ felt now. "I've been where you are now," Olivia told TJ, "and I understand exactly how you feel. I'd be very happy to have you working with us."

"All we've really managed to do here with the Ori is to buy ourselves some much-needed time," Jack said told TJ. "We've delayed the inevitable, which is a full-scale invasion of our galaxy. We've got Neith on our side, for now, but the more help we can get, the better. So if you have decided to stay in the SGC, TJ, then I'm very glad to hear it."

Taking TJ's hand in her own, Olivia turned to Sam and asked, "What do you think, Sam? Could SG-1 use a medic?"

"Hey, why not?" Sam replied with a smile. "SG-1 could use all the help it could get."

"Welcome to the ever-growing team," Daniel said.

"What's the head count in SG-1 now, two hundred?" Grace said jokingly.

"At least!" Cam replied, as he stepped forward. He nodded at TJ. "Welcome to this crazy team."

"I just hope you can stand dealing with this collection of assorted nuts!" Olivia said.

TJ burst into a broad smile at that, and Olivia was pleased to see it, for it had been far too long since she had seen TJ smile.

The door slid open and Rodney poked his head outside. "Hah! I knew it! The 'cool' party is out here, isn't it?"

Sam, who stood with her back facing Rodney, lightly bumped her head against Jack's shoulder in frustration and muttered through clenched teeth: "Did we really have to invite _him_?"

"The cool party is wherever you want it to be, Dr. McKay," Jack graciously replied, as he led Sam back inside. "Is there room enough for _us_ in there?"

As Olivia and Daniel went back inside the house with the others, she said, "I guess the quest for the Sangraal can wait for now, huh?"

"Everybody needs a break now and then," he said. "Even the Ori, I suppose."

But from what she had seen of the Ori, Olivia somehow doubted that. Yet she kept her misgivings to herself and enjoyed the party for the rest of the night. For who knew how long this peace and quiet would last?

**SG-1: SVU**

The Doci strode into the great hall, which was filled with the holographic projection of the galaxy which its inhabitants referred to as the Milky Way. It was the very same galaxy where the Ori once had a foothold, and lost it, because they were foolish enough to underestimate their enemy.

The Orici stood at the base of the holographic projection, carefully examining a dark region in the galaxy where no stars lay. She had now grown into an adult woman in full command of all her powers. And seeing her standing here, adorned regally as she was in her golden dress, with her blond hair swept back in a braid, made the Doci realize that this time, the Ori Hegemony would not underestimate its enemies.

This time, the Ori Hegemony would conquer the Milky Way.

"Yes?" the Orici asked.

"I come to inform you that Aral has been fully scanned," the Doci told her. "He does not have any parasites within his body."

The Orici nodded. "Excellent. He will make a fine general in my campaign." She pointed at the Milky Way and added, "The Tyro system was the wrong place for a beachhead, Doci. My super gate will be established in an empty, out of the way section of the Milky Way."

"Away from prying eyes," the Doci said with satisfaction. "Good. This will allow us to build our forces there with ease."

The Orici turned and smiled at him, her hellishly glowing eyes burning like twin red suns. "And once the Ori fleet, and our ground forces, are properly assembled, every planet within this galaxy will run red with the blood of all those who dared to oppose us!"

**The End **

_A/N: Not the end, not by a long shot. This story is meant to be the opening salvo in a major war for the Milky Way. But that's another tale for another time. I'd like to thank Brian Tyler, for his really cool soundtrack album for **Battle: LA. **This was a great album for me to listen to while writing the battle scenes. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. _


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